The Tale of Dori: A Supernatural Fanfiction (OC x Castiel)
by Lustrious
Summary: Dori is thrown into the world the Sam and Dean lives every day. Confused, she must find her bravery and do what she must. Along the way, she can't help but become intrigued with this mysterious angel by the name of Castiel. What is her role in all of this? And will her life ever be the same again?
1. Prologue

It came out of nowhere.

One second I was heading towards the great glass doors to the cinemas downtown, in another, all I saw was a black shadow out of the corner of my eye, blinked, and then felt myself being violently grabbed and pushed.

When I opened my eyes again, it appeared I was in some parking lot. Wait, no, I recognized this parking lot. How did I get five blocks away from the theater in the blink of an eye?

But looking at the shadow materializing, I realized I had bigger concerns to deal with. I saw the dark silouette on the worn brick walls of the parking lot, and I expected to trace it to a body, but as it turns out, that was all that it was.

Was it a trick of some sort? Suddenly, it shifted from its humanoid form to something that seemed to have thick claws. And then it came for me.

I screamed. No one could hear me, because it was empty in this part of city. Sure, we were downtown, but in the run down part of it. I wanted to hide behind one of the few parked cars, but I felt myself tackled onto the floor. I hit the side head against the concrete, wincing in pain as I felt the hard ground scratch against my skin. I struggled to sit up, and get back on my feet, but the thing came at me again. I had a knife in my bag- something my dad gave me a while ago, when I turned 19- but it was impossible to get to it now. I could only see the thing's shadow on the wall, and this time, it kept me on the ground, raising one of its clawed hands above its head, readying to kill me.

Out of nowhere, a bright flash of light appeared. I was forced to close my eyes because it was blinding, but I tried to squint through the light. It was another humanoid form, and it seemed that the light emanated off him. I looked at the brick wall to realize that the shadow creature was gone, unable to exist in such bright light.

The form knelt down, gingerly holding onto my chin, checking the damage to my head.

"You're going to be alright," a deep, comforting voice said to me. I closed my eyes, blocking out the rest of the brightness, and everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 1

I woke up, but refused to open my eyes. It was one of those times when you felt like just staying in bed, and wanted to will yourself back to sleep. Then I realized that I was not in my usual bed. This one was harder, and it smelled damper.

I forced open my eyes to see that I was in a bedroom. There were several bookshelves, lined with books. There was also a table by the window, with two chairs. The whole room had a vintage feel to it, a bit old and stuck in time.

I sat up and instantly regretted it when I felt my head pounding in pain. I reached up to touch the side of my right temple to feel gauze secured over some sort of wound or scratch. Now that I was feeling more awake, I realized that I had hit my head the night before. I had also seen some sort of shadow monster or something. Wait, what?

I put my feet on the floor, and trying to jostle my head as little as possible, I reached for the handle to leave this room. I was still dressed in the same clothes I had on last night. It was the same floral dress with grey cable knit tights, but my jacket was no where to be found. What happened?

I opened the door and peeked out to see a hallway. It was a bit dark, and smelled just as musty as the bedroom. I decided that I might as well get a grasp of where I am and see if I could get some answers.  
I went down the hallway, which led me to the kitchen and living room.

That was where I found three guys sitting around a coffee table, with a laptop propped open. They were talking about something on the computer, but all stopped when they noticed me. It then turned silent.

"Okay, where the hell am I?" I asked, hoping that I sounded braver than I felt. It was creepy, and for all I knew, I was in some sort of hostage situation. For what reason? No clue. But the theories and possibilites popping around my head were endless.

"Well good morning to you to miss sunshine," one of the men said. "Except it is more like night now, I guess."

"No, I'm serious. I don't know who you guys are, or what you want, but I will call the cops on you if someone doesn't start explaning."

"Yeah? You and what phone?" the same guy asked.

Shit. Where was my bag? That was when one of them got up, passed by a coat rack to grab my bag, and handed it to me.

"Thanks..." I said, hesitantly. "No problem. Name's Sam. Sam Winchester." The guy said. "That there is Dean, my brother, and him there in the trench coat is Cas."

"I'm Dori," I said, reaching into my bag, and reached around inside for my knife. I kept my hand in there, firmly grasping the handle of the only weapon I had.

"Hey, you've got in a knife in there. We know." Sam said, arms held up in the air: the universal sign of meaning no harm. "We're not here to hurt you. Quite the opposite actually. We've got a few questions of our own, if you don't mind."

The man called Dean cut straight to the point. "Why exactly was a daeva trying to kill you?" He was looking up at me, an eyebrow raised.

"What's a daeva?" I asked.

"The shadow thing?-Oh come on, how many other things have tried to kill you recently?" Dean said, rolling his eyes in impatience.

This guy was really getting on my nerves.

"I don't know! If I was expecting something to kill me, don't you think I would have been a little more prepared?" I asked incredulously. A pang of pain jolted through my head as I was getting riled up, and I winced. Sam had now sat back down. But opening my eyes after that flash of pain, the guy called Cas was suddenly directly in front of me. He reached out to brush my hair away from the gauze, giving it a check.

"Get away from me," I snapped, brushing his hand away. "Hey guys," Sam said in an urget tone, getting all of our attention. "You may want to check out the window."


	3. Chapter 2

We all turned to look outside. It turned out the source of panic was some figures heading towards...wherever we were. I did not understand what the big deal was, because people are allowed to walk around outside. But then I realized that outside was basically a forest. So we were in some creepy cottage in the middle of nowhere? Okay, I get why we are supposed to be panicking.

By the time I broke my gaze away from the window, I realized that Dean had already packed up the laptop, and grabbed a bag. Sam came from somewhere else in the house, also holding a bag. Castiel was just waiting around, impatient for us to get into action. It seemed that they had been ready for something like this. Thankfully, I already had my bag, which contained everything that I had anyway.

"Go out back," Dean told me, and I started to follow Sam. "The car's out there. I'm driving." That last bit seemed to be aimed at either Castiel or Sam. "Wait, what's he doing?" I asked, confused as to why we were basically in the car already, and Dean was still inside the house. My question was answered by a loud boom, followed by screams of agony. Dean was seen running to the car, and then jumping into the driver's seat. I was in the back with Castiel, and was not prepared for the jolt backwards as Dean threw the car in reverse, and then pulled out onto the road. My head now hurt more than ever, as it collided into the headrest. I closed my eyes, willing the pain to ebb away, and slowly, it did.

"Okay, now that we're safely on the road-" I said sarcastically, once again breaking the silence, "Can someone please explain what is going on?"

It turns out that they were not sure either. Apparently, the three of them were hunters- no, get this- paranormal hunters. Well Sam and Dean were. Castiel was not, but they did not explain who he was, or why he was here. I guess he was just tagging along? The three of them had been tracking a string of killings around my part of the city. It just so happened that they managed to track the daeva down and stop it from killing me. They did not know what to do with me, but believing that I could give them more information, they brought me to one of their safe houses, which in the end, turned out to be not so safe after all.

"I had heard of all the deaths," I said thoughtfully, "But are you sure they're paranormal in nature? I mean, from what I've heard on the news, they're just animal attacks. They said a pack of coyotes moved here and they're trying to catch them before they harm anyone else."

"Well," scoffed Dean, "Let me tell you right now that more than half of these 'animal killings', are actually not, in fact, done by animals. More often than not, it's your average vampire, demon, and God knows what else decided it was hungry."

I froze. "Wait, just how many other supernatural things are we talking about here?"

"More than you would think. They're pretty good at covering their tracks, so it's not unusual for the average human to be unaware of them." Sam answered.

My headache was coming back, mainly because I was stressing from the thought of the things lurking in the dark. It was like being told that all your childhood fears that you have finally conquered and written off as impossible were actually real.

"But there must be something more to this." Castiel finally spoke. He had a deep, gravelly voice. It was a bit intimidating, but at the same time, soothing. "Daevas are under orders from demons. And whatever they wanted her for, it was more than just for food. They would have given up the chase and moved on to an easier meal if that was the case."

This was definitely not helping in easing my panic. "Wait, so they want me? For something specific? So they're probably not going to stop hunting me?" I was now breathing faster. I have never had a panic attack, but I feel like one was coming up.

"It's only a theory," Castiel said, reassuringly. "For all we know, this all may just be a coincidence."

I could hear Dean give a small snort at that remark, but I decided to ignore it and just take what he said.

"Do you want me to make your headache go away?" Castiel asked, turning to look at me.

"You got pills? Sure some Advil would really help." I said gratefully.

"I've got...other methods." Cas said, and he shifted over the the seat in the middle, and placed his fingers over my gauze. I could feel him applying slight pressure, and I was beginning to think that this was some sort of temple massage, but he removed his fingers from the side of my head after several seconds. "Done."

I shook my head from side to side, testing to see if it still ached. Miraculously, I felt nothing. It was back to normal.

"How in the world did you do that?" I asked, amazed.

"Magic." He smiled at me. "You should rest up. I'm sure there's a long day ahead, but the drive will take a while. I can lend you my shoulder."

I glanced at his shoulder when he said this. Although just having woken up an hour or so ago, I could feel the stress wearing me down.

"That would be great," I said, a bit hesitant to sleep on some stranger's shoulder. But hey, nothing was normal anymore. The world I once knew seemed to be crumbling down.

Castiel shifted himself so as to lower his shoulder to an appropriate height for me to nap on. "Thanks," I said, giving him one last sincere look, and then rested my head down onto his shoulder. Sleep overcame me almost instantly.


	4. Chapter 3

"Hey! Rise and shine!" I heard some guy's voice ring out. Dean was impatient for us to get out and check in to a motel. He wanted to catch a nap. "I just need my four hours." He said, turning the ignition off. I got up, then realized that the reason why I did not have the usual crick in my neck from sleeping in cars was because of Castiel. Feeling slightly awkward, I muttered a quick word of "thanks", and opened the car door to the bright cheery world that greeted us.

It was sunny, and sunny always made one more optimistic. I stretched out my arms and legs, closed the black car's door shut, then hurried to catch up to the three men.

"Wait up!" I said, jogging up to them. "Are we staying here?"

"No, we're just stopping by for gas." Sam raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips. This obviously was not a gas station, nor did it have any gas pumps, so sarcasm duly noted.

"Erm, I don't have money on me." I plainly stated. "Nor can I ask my mom for money to support my whole running away from college because of evil monsters thing...Wow that sounds even stupider when I say it out loud."

"We don't either," Dean replied. "But according to my other alias," he stopped to whip out a credit card, then read the name on it, "Ray Cooper, who has a great credit score, we're good."

"Did you steal that?" I asked horrified. I was all for not dying and ditching demons, but stealing and crime was not up my alley.

"Relax, we signed up for it. It's what we do. You should too if you're on the run. Just go up to those booths at shopping malls and whatnot, and companies are basically begging you to sign up for their credit cards." Sam explained.

I did not know how that was supposed to make things better. I am pretty sure that is still against the law, since fraud is illegal. But I decided to not question it, at least for now.

Walking into the office of the motel, Dean and Sam went up to the counter and rang the bell for assistance. The interior of the motel was a shade of green, matching the darker green that covered the exterior of this place. It was a two story motel, with, I am guessing, around 30 rooms or so? The two floors surrounded the parking lot which we just came from.

"Hi, we'd like 2 connecting rooms please." Dean said to the middle aged guy who came out from a room behind the desk.

"That's two singles in each?" He asked, typing away on his computer. They started to discuss payment, and I turned to Castiel.

"Castiel, do you guys have a plan?" I asked. "How long am I going to have to run?"

He looked at me thoughtfully, his blue eyes fixed on my brown ones. "If you stop running, I'm afraid that's the end for you." He was blunt.

I had feared as much. "I just don't understand why they would want me of all people. I'm just an ordinary uni student. I've been here for as long as I can remember- well, not here, but you know, within Oregon anyway."

He shrugged. "I don't know. But there's probably more than that. We just need to figure it out, and we will. With time." I could see he was attempting to give me a small comforting smile, so I smiled back just to make him feel better.

"Okay, got our rooms. 2nd floor, 213 and 214." Dean said, tossing me a set of keys. "They're linked rooms, so we'll just keep that separating door open. Just in case."

When we got up to the rooms, we went in through 213. Again, the walls were painted a shade of green, and everything looked as a motel should look: a bit rustic looking and well worn. We walked over to the door in between the rooms and we opened it. I walked into the next room and realized there was only one queen sized bed.

"Um, I'm assuming you two don't sleep together." I said to Dean and Sam. "So won't Castiel and I need two beds?"

"Don't worry 'bout Cas. He doesn't sleep." Dean said, dropping a sack of his belongings onto an armchair. Sam did the same on a nearby chair.

"Really?" I asked. It was all very suspicious.

"Okay, so what is up with you?" I turned to Castiel. "Are you a magician or some crap? 'Cause getting rid of my headache is cool, but what's what this no sleeping thing?" I raised my eyebrows.

"I don't need sleep because I'm not human," Castiel replied.

"He's kidding right?" I asked Sam and Dean. They had no reply.

"I'm an angel- an angel of the Lord." He explained. "And for some reason, I was sent to look after you."


	5. Chapter 4

"Wait Cas, you're not just following us around?" Dean asked, cocking his head in curiosity.

"Not this time." Castiel explained. "I was pulled towards her. To stop her death. That's why I'm certain there's more to the story."

"Well, that's great. Whatever it is, we want in too. But just not now." Sam said, sitting down on the bed. "Right now we've got a case we're working on. Other than yours I guess. That's why we came here."

"Three deaths within two days. That's definitely something we're interested in." Dean said, flopping onto the other bed. "Hey, babysitting isn't something we usually do, but since you're probably our next case, feel free to tag along. Just stay out of the way, and let us do our thing"

This is what they did for a living. If you could even call it that. It all seemed a bit too charitable if you asked me, but maybe it was fuelled by some mad desire to prove their manhood or something. Then again, they all seemed to be in their thirties, so if this was some strange quest, you would have thought they would have had thought better and settled down instead. I guess the story will tell itself?

I was now looking at Castiel warily, because I have always thought that angels were pure and good. But if he was following two hunters around, it probably meant he was killing things too, which I am not sure sure was in the traditional image of angels that we all had.

A snore came out from Dean. Sam on the other hand was pulling a laptop out of his duffle bag, saying he was going to do some research.

If they were all off to do their own stuff, I wanted to at least go get some supplies. After all, all I had with me was what was in my shoulder bag, and that basically just included my phone, my wallet, lip balms and random packs of gum. Oh, and the knife my dad gave me that I have kept around me ever since he left. I will be needed some toiletries if we were going to be stopping at random shelters everywhere. Food would be nice right about now. I had all the sleep I could get on the car, which totalled around 5 and a half hours? Plus, I was sleeping before that too. It was now noon, and my stomach wanted to complain.

"If it's all the same for everyone, I'm going to head out for some food, and maybe grab some essentials." I announced to the group.

"I'll go with you." Castiel said. "You don't know what's out there."

I was grateful to have him around, but I did not feel the most comfortable with him shadowing me. However, seeing as how a daeva almost killed me, it was probably not a bad call having him there. I just wish it was easier to talk to him. He was always very serious, which was unsettling.

My bag was still on me, so I had everything I needed. Then Castiel and I headed out the door.

We left the parking lot, which lead into the streets of the little town we were in. I could see the sign "Mcguire's Mart" two blocks away across the street so I decided on getting supplies first. Castiel silently trailed behind me. With his trench coat and suit, he looked odd in comparison to my casual dress. The cashier looked up as I walked in and I nodded my head and smiled in greeting. I went to the toiletries section, grabbed shampoo, conditioner, body wash, then also added pads and tampons to my pile.

"So do you need to shower or something? Or is all that taken care of too?" I asked Cas.

"I do get cleaned up every once in a while, but no, I don't need body wash to accomplish that." He replied. "You need help with those?"

My arms were starting to become piled with stuff, but I declined his offer since I was going to go pay anyway. I had cash on me, but I was not sure what I was going to do when I ran out.

We left with a plastic bag full of my stuff, and I wanted to eat somewhere.

"Dean and Sam often go to diners?" Castiel said helpfully, seeing as how I could not decide on where to go for lunch. There was an asian joint, and then there was the diner. But just glancing at the diner, it seemed more friendly and inviting.

"Diner it is then!" I said, making my way to it.

We got placed in a booth, and a waitress handed us menus.

"So do you eat?" I asked, flipping through the menu. I decided on the chicken strips with a side of mashed potatoes and a Coke.

"Not usually. I could I guess- I had this thing about burgers for a while. But that's another story." he replied. He ordered a water, and I understood he did so just because it would look less odd. He was basically just watching me eat.

I told him more about my life as we sat. It felt almost comforting to tell him about my family- what was left of it anyway. My mom worked at an accountant, auditing for various companies, and my dad worked in the lumber industry as a supervisor over the operations. He was always away for work, but one time, he left and never came back. And that was that. I was sad, then angry, then all the feelings kind of watered down into nothing. So it was just my mom and I, but with her almost never home since her job had long hours. I have learned to live with that.

I finished off my mashed potatoes and wiped my mouth on a napkin.

"I'm going to need the washroom," I said, excusing myself. "We should get something for the other two too? If you know what they like, you can order for them."

I left Castiel at the table, with him looking quizzically at the menu the waitress handed him. This diner place had a mini corridor that led to the washrooms, and I pushed the door into a bathroom with 3 stalls. The women's washroom was dimly lit, and one of the stalls were out of order. A pile of pipes was piled outside this stall, waiting for someone to fix the toilet. This place smelled gross, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust. I checked my reflection in the mirror. I looked washed out, especially compared to my dark brown, almost black hair. The weak fluorescent lights made me look even more tired.

Someone walked into the bathroom, the lights flickering as the woman came in. I looked at her from the mirror and saw a middle-aged woman heading towards the sink next to mine. She caught me looking and I turned around to give her a smile, but then I saw her eyes. The were black orbs that had no whites to them. She started to scowl at me, grinning as she saw my fear. I tried to sidestep her, but her hand shot out, clearly telling me I was not leaving. I backed slowly away from her, but there was only so much room left. My feet hit something on the floor, and a pipe came rolling down from the pile set aside. I ducked down, grabbed the pipe, and aimed at the thing. For a split second, my brain was warning me that I was about to commit murder, but from what I saw, this woman was not human. Nor was I going to get out alive if I did not doing something now.

I held on tight to the pipe and ran. There was a satisfying squelch as the pipe when through her, and dark crimson blood spilled from her, drops of it splattering onto me. I let go of the pipe, letting it hang through her chest. It turns out that even if you stabbed whatever this thing was, it doesn't die. They just get start screaming in anger. But it did distracted her long enough for me to reach the door and make a quick escape.

"Cas!" I shouted as I ran back into the seating area. "We've got to go!" He was by the door, holding my stuff, just waiting. I could see people eating their lunches staring at me, annoyed that I had interrupted their meal. But then they saw the woman with a pipe in her stomach, and their annoyance quickly turned into distress.

"Wait, no," I said to him, turning back to look at the thing approaching us. "We can't just leave! There's people here. They'll die!"

"Go wait outside," He said, handing me my bags. "I'll deal with this."

He opened the door, eyes on the thing, which was now completely back to normal albeit a metal tube through her stomach and walking towards the two of us with a nasty grin, and pushed me through it. I wanted to resist and stay, but I realized I would have not been much help. Firstly, I did not even know what that thing was. My attempts at killing proved futile, so I am guessing if there was some sort of way to get rid of it, it would be more complicated than stabbing at it with a knife. I backed away from the diner, seeing Castiel approach the thing through the windows. In the blink of an eye, the woman was in front of him, daring him to do something. And do something he did.

I watched as Castiel placed his hand in front of the thing's face, and suddenly all there was was bright light erupting from its body. I was forced to turn away because the light was so bright, but when I turned around again, Castiel was heading towards me.

"We have to go back to the motel. That demon was not after you, but I am sure it has something to do with the case the Winchesters are working on." He took me by the arm and started to walk me towards the motel.


	6. Chapter 5

Back in the motel room, Sam and Dean started to explain what they were actually hunting. Dean was not happy being roused from his slumber, but Castiel shook him hard enough to get him to sit up and start talking.

The past two days has seen three young women dead, with this happening every month or so for the past year. Each time, the girl was found drained of their blood, their body carelessly disposed of.

"Drained of blood?" I asked. "So vampires, right?"

"Vampires aren't the only thing after blood." Sam explained. "There's demons, djinn, not to mention people or creatures that wants to conjure spells. Some spells require human blood as an ingredient. The only question is which of these is it?"

"Keep in mind it's not just anyone's blood. It seems that all our victims are female, within the age of 18-30. All young adults." Dean said, rubbing his face on his hand, still tired from a lack of rest. "Dori, can you describe what you saw in the washroom?"

"It was a demon." Castiel replied for me. "A rather typical one at that. She was very focused on her mission though, and did not even stop to realize what I was."

Sam seemed to think of something, and went back to his desk and chair, frantically typing things into his laptop.

"You got something Sammy?" Dean asked.

"Maybe. Give me a bit more time. I just want to dig the information back up to make sure this is relevant." He said, eyes glued to the laptop screen.

It was some time after two now, and again, I found myself useless. I decided I would take a shower, because I felt pretty gross, now having showered for the last-how many days has it been now? Two days? It felt great having the hot water run through my hair, and it cleared my mind, allowing me to think.

I am currently with two brothers who hunt demons. I had some sort of angel sent to save me. I have not seen my mom or talked to her since all this happened. Sadly, I knew that even if I called and told her I had been gone for the past two days, she would be surprised, since I am sure she would not have noticed. She usually returned home after I was asleep, and I would go to school before she woke up. When she started off her job, she explained that they were going to need her there a lot, but she will always have time for me. I guess that last part of the conversation got lost a while back. At the same time, I never gave her a reason to worry about me. My first two years in university flew by, and I managed decent marks. I took care of myself at home, and never hung out with the wrong crowd. All in all, we had a good system going, but if you asked me how my family was, I honestly would not know how to reply.

I stepped out of the shower, and wiped away the fogged up mirror so I could comb my hair. I then took out the toothbrush that I had just bought, along with the toothpaste, and brushed my teeth. It felt so good being clean again, I was really sad that I would have to put on the same old clothes I had on for the past while. I really would need a change of clothes sooner or later. I put my red and black floral dress back on, but decided to ditch the knit tights for now, since we will only be in the room. I then started to blow dry my hair.

Outside, Castiel sat at the side of the end of my bed, flipping through TV channels, not seeming to find any that he liked.

"Think I'd have time for a nap?" I asked him.

"Yeah, Sam usually takes researching seriously. He will let us know when he's ready." Castiel said. He was still clicking through the different shows that was currently on.

"Oh! Wait! Stop!" I said, seeing a familiar show fly by. "That was Friends! Can we watch that?"

"Sure," Castiel said. "I don't think there's anything on that would interest me anyway."

I climbed into bed, going to the side that Castiel was not sitting on, and melted into the pillows and soft mattress. If I thought the shower felt good, this was even better. Friends was a great show to mindlessly watch, and I found myself laughing quite a few times. Castiel was silent though, but he explained that he simply did not understand the jokes or references. I tried explaining them to him, but quickly realized that it was hard to explain the jokes as it loses its humour. As I listened to Ross and Rachel argue over something on the TV, I found myself drifting away.

It felt like I had only just closed my eyes when I heard Sam yelling "Wake up!" I blinked, rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sauntered over to the other room where the rest of them were.

"Okay, so I found out that we have had a total of around twenty girls missing in the town for the past half a year. Again, same age range. The local police suspect some sort of serial killer, and they believe it's all a matter of time before they'll catch him. I, on the other hand, have found something interesting. It turns out that there _is_ a spell that requires young female blood. They have to have matured though, so their blood has to have developed, but at the same time, they can't be too old." I heard Sam explain.

"So what's this big spell?" Dean asked.

"If you get enough blood, sacrificing on a timely basis, you will get to control a reaper." Sam said.

"Wait, a reaper? Those guys don't work for anyone, how is this spell going to do anything?" Dean asked.

"That's the thing. It's not just any reaper, but a particular one. He goes by the name Terryal. In lore, it says that he had a taste for reaping the souls of young women. The spell goes that if you sacrificed enough of them to him, he will be willing to work for you, as long as you kept up with the sacrifices." Sam said, reading off both his laptop and sometimes off a leather bound journal. "But that's also the problem. No one can manage to kill enough of these girls to appease Terryal. They always end up getting caught or stopped because the kill count was too high."

"I'm not one to say," Dean said, "But I would say killing twenty girls is quite an achievement. They have got to be close to their goal now don't they?"

"To summon him and get him to accept your offering, you need an initial kill of twenty five girls. So yeah, you're in the right track." Sam replied.

"That sick son of a bitch. Young women?" Dean asked, "That is _not_ how you treat them."

"While you guys were napping, I went out for food. And luckily, someone pointed me in the right direction. They say that three sisters moved to this town about half a year ago. It's strange because you see young women in town fearing for their lives, many moving away for the time being, or being very careful. They say those three walk around without a fear in the world." Sam said, closing his laptop.

"We got an address?" Dean asked.

"Secluded house up at the edge of town." Sam said, holding up a slip of paper with an address. "Got it off the local police."

"Cas, we want you to come along. If they have managed to kill this many girls without being found, we got to be prepared for the worst." Dean said. "Now I don't care if we have to drag her along, since she obviously can't stay here. But you're staying in the car."

He was directing the last part of that to me.

"Hey, fine by me." I said, searching for my tights, readying to go out. "As long as you guys involve me in as little as possible, I'm game."

Castiel did not seem like he liked the plan, but he agreed to do it. Given that I would indeed be left at a safe distance in the car. He had to keep an eye on me.

I grabbed my bag, they took their cell phones, and we made our way down to the car.


	7. Chapter 6

"You keep the doors locked, and try not to kill my baby while we're away," Dean said, his voice coming from behind the car as he dug out the necessary supplies from the trunk of the Impala. I did a double take when I realized that they were unloading several guns from back there, but of course, what is a hunter without his weapons? This made me self consciously reach for the knife my dad gave me that still sat in my bag.

"Don't worry, I won't." I promised. "I'll play angry birds until you guys come back."

I heard the trunk slam shut, and the three of them started to make their way to the house that was quite some ways in. I could see it from the car, but they would have to walk a bit of a small hill to get there. Castiel turned back to give me one last look, trying to give me an encouraging smile. I smiled back, not sure if he could see me from inside the car.

I took out my phone and opened the app for Angry Birds. In the dark of the car I started to fling the little birds into their dreaded enemies: the smiling green pigs.

* * *

I could see Sam and Cas out of the corner of my eye, both flanking me as I explored the house. There were no lights- well, none of them were on anyway. It looked deserted, but then again, most of the houses we end up searching look that way.

"Cas, check the basement. Sam come upstairs with me." I said, after we were done with the main floor. "These sons of bitches better not have left."

The stairs creaked as Sam and I went up, the old steps threatening to fall under our weight. It was also announcing our arrival.

There were two rooms on the top floor. I looked back at Sam and cocked my head towards the room on the left. He nodded, and I got my gun ready, my other hand holding the flashlight atop the gun so I could see. I nudged the door open with my foot, and it revealed a room with a bed and a closet. There was no one in sight. I then walked up to the closet, and with one quick motion flung the door opened, hands flying back to my gun, raising it in case something was there. I lowered it again as the empty closet opened up.

I turned back to see that Sam had already taken to checking out the other room. He came back to meet me.

"No one there either." Sam said, shrugging.

"DEAN!" I could hear Cas call from below us. I started to run down the stairs, taking a sharp turn to continue down the stairs to the basement.

I was met with Cas and a demon standing across the room from him, her eyes jet black, amplified by the fact we were in a room lit only by the moonlight. The room reeked of death. The demon was smiling, with an angel blade in her hand.

"Where'd she get that?" I asked, looking at her weapon.

"It's not hard nowadays. Dead angels were everywhere during the would-have-been apocalypse. Thanks to Cas over here, I hear." She said smirking.

My flashlight now revealed parts of the basement I had not previously seen. Like the fact that there were dead chicks carelessly pushed to the side of the room. Guess they did not drain all of these girls on the spot. There was an altar at the end of the room, with bowls and candles and stuff I would assume they needed to complete their offering to the reaper dude.

"Where's the other one?" Sam asked, coming up from behind me. "There's supposed to be two of them."

I did another scan around the room with my flashlight, but there was no one else there.

"What's it to you?" The demon asked, giving away nothing. "It doesn't matter does it? You'll all be dead soon enough."

She moved fast, coming to Cas, her blade drawn. He reached her head, trying to smoke the hell out of her with his angel mojo. But she was extraordinarily fast, managing to cut Cas extended hand before he laid it down on her. He cried out in pain, and white light erupted from the cut.

I moved into action, realizing this would take more effort than I previously planned. I pushed the demon down, struggling to hold her down. Sam came over, pulling out Ruby's knife, placing it right above her throat.

"Where's your _sister_?" He asked.

"You hunters think you're so smart," she spat out. "Silly little hunters. You brought us our last sacrifice."

Shit. Dori.

I heard a swish behind me, and when I looked back, Cas had poofed away.


	8. Chapter 7

Above the annoying little tune playing from my game, I heard a sound coming from outside. I paused my game to listen.

A face appeared in the window beside me, and I leapt aside in shock. It was a girl. But she had eyes like the woman I saw in the bathroom. I looked on in terror as she opened the door effortlessly, despite it being locked. I dropped my phone, and made a grab for my knife.

"Come now dear, it won't hurt a bit." She said. She looked younger than the other woman I had seen earlier, but it did not make her any less frightening. She did not see the knife I held behind my back. Getting tired of me slinking my way away from her, she grabbed me by the leg and pulled me out of the car.

I managed to stumble out of the car, landing on one of my feet.

"I may have lied about the not hurting bit." She said, holding a knife of her own. "After all, I will need a bit- scratch that- all of your blood."

She looked like an ordinary girl, probably a bit older than me. In jeans and a cropped leather jacket. This was ridiculous. Several days ago, if you told me she was a demon, I would have laughed and question your sanity.

I decided to turn and make a run for it towards the house, and I was sure some part of my brain was telling me how stupid that was. She would not let me get away so easily. I was right, as she appeared in front of me.

"Drop your silly knife girl." She said.

"Right." I said sarcastically. I knew that it would have about as much effect on her as a pipe through her chest, but it was all I had, and I decided to stab it into her.

Her mouth curled into a smile at my attempt to kill her, but then her smiling mouth started to widen to let out a scream. An orange glow leaked out of her stomach where I stabbed her, as well as through her open mouth. Seizing my chance, I retrieved the knife and stabbed it in her again and again, each time evoking more screams from the writhing demon now lying on the ground. I guess those taekwondo lessons I had taken back then were finally coming into use, since I managed to force her to the floor. Black smoke had surrounded the two of us, but was slowly disappearing into the ground below us. I was scared as hell, but I repeatedly plunged the knife down, even after her screams faded.

I felt someone lay a hand on my shoulder, and I jumped up in fright. Tears, although I was unaware that I was crying, were running down my face, and I held the knife up and ready to fight whatever else came at me.

It was Cas. He looked relieved, but lines of worry could be seen on his face. He came over to me, wrapping his arms around me as I sobbed into his trench coat.


	9. Chapter 8

The car ride back to the motel was not entirely quiet. Dean was furious that they had messed this up, and how they accidentally had brought me along, doing exactly as the demons wanted. I could hear Sam saying that it was a huge miscalculation on their part, forgetting that I fit the description for a possible sacrifice victim.

I sat in the back, quiet, staring out the window. It was night out, so I was really looking out at the darkness, seeing more of my reflection than the world beyond the glass. I looked less crazy than I had before, having calmed down and the blood splatters having been wiped away. Dean was insistent that I got as much blood off of me as possible, throwing me a towel, while giving Sam a meaningful glance as he said that. I was more than happy to wipe it off.

It was terrifying, killing that demon. I thought I was going to die. One good thing that came out of all that was that I successfully defended myself. It made me feel less weak and useless. However, all this was possible because of my knife. How exactly had my dad managed to get ahold of a knife that could kill demons? Maybe he never knew what it could do. Then again, I had no idea who he really was, given he left when I was so young.

When we finally got back to our rooms, I headed straight for the shower. I stripped off my clothes and dumped them into the shower with me. I decided to hand wash them since I did not want to deal with a washing machine at this hour. It was a relief to wash off any trace of blood that still clung to me, as well as the dirt. Stepping out of the shower, I realized that I had the problem of not having any clothes. I wrapped a large white towel around myself, covering everything that needed covering and headed outside to the guys to see if I could borrow something off them.

I was a bit embarrassed in my towel, but so was Castiel when he saw me as I left the washroom. He quickly looked away.

"Hey," I said aloud to everyone, "Does anyone have something I can borrow? Like a T-shirt and shorts or something. I'll wash it and give it back to you. I just don't have a change of clothes."

Dean was in the shower so Sam looked up from his side of the room, and moved to go through his bag. He handed me a large T-shirt, that I guess was not very large on him, and a baggy pair of workout shorts. I gratefully took it from him, and he suggested that we should take me shopping tomorrow, since we will be moving on anyway.

I was curious to where we were going and I made a point to ask them after I was properly dressed.

"We got another case." Dean said, his hair damp from the shower.

"Wait, so do I just keep following you guys around?" I asked, standing by the open door separating the two rooms, leaning against the frame.

"I dunno," Dean said, turning his head to Cas, "You know what you're supposed to do with her?"

"Not at the moment." Castiel replied. He seemed worried, and I could understand why. If I was him, I would want to deal with my case as soon as possible too. I would not want to have to be on twenty-four seven babysitting duties.

"Should we part ways?" I asked the Winchesters. I did not want to stay if I was not wanted.

Dean snorted. "As if you'd survive."

"Plus, a daeva being summoned is something we will want to look into too. Just stick with us for now. It's just that this case popped up. Your case's trail has gone cold, so we may as well wait around. Just stay safe- we're sorry we got you into trouble back there." Sam said.

"It wasn't your fault." I said. "You all thought that I would be safest if I came with you guys."

Looking at the curtains, I was surprised to see rays of sunlight starting to peep its way through the fabric. I looked at the clock that now read 6:37am. Time sure flies when you are having fun.

We all headed to our respective beds to get as much sleep as we could before we had to checkout at eleven o'clock.

I crawled into my bed, wanting to just forget about reality for a few hours. Laying down on my side, away from the window that was starting to get brighter by the second, I tried to get into a comfortable position. But there were so many thoughts going through my head, mostly of the knife, plus the fact that demons were very real and wanted to kill me, that I believe sleep might be impossible.

I heard the sound of Cas' trench coat and I opened my eyes to see him looking down at me.

"You should try to sleep. Don't be afraid." He said. "I'll watch over you."


	10. Chapter 9

I loaded my stuff into the car, but there really was not much. I tried to rub the sleep from my eyes, but Sam told me to just relax and sleep in the car. Soon enough, we were saying goodbye to the town. It felt good, not only because I was still alive, but because we left knowing we saved a town. Who knows how many more people would have to die if it was not for our little visit? I wish I did not have to kill something though, but Sam was reminding me that what I had 'killed' had died a long time ago.

Castiel was not with us in the car, but he joined us as soon as we reached the city. I was mildly surprised when he suddenly materialized beside me, but I tried to hide it and play it cool. It turns out that Sam and Dean got a call to check out something in Sacramento. I was excited because it would mean there would be actual stores and I could buy clothes. I enjoyed shopping, not that I was obsessed or anything, and more often than not, I would fail to find something that I liked, but it was still fun. Problem was I did not have money.

The Impala pulled up to a shopping complex, and the mall front read "Sunrise Mall".

"Let me show you how we get our credit cards," Dean said as we walked into the mall. Fifteen minutes later, I had a credit card under a made up name. It was amazing how those credit card stands were pretty much begging you to take a card. Of course, they were probably expecting risk, but I am sure whatever business model they ran under, they usually made money out of their cardholders.

Dean and Sam went to the Red Robins and said they would grab a bite while they waited. I hurried off to random clothing stores, trying to find something that I liked. Castiel insisted on following me around, which made me feel even more rushed. Eventually, I got fed up with choosing clothes and I started to just grab tank tops and camisoles in different colours. I bough jeans, sweats and then I got embarrassed when I went to get some intimates. Thankfully, Castiel said he would go look at the men's section, understanding I felt uncomfortable. I knew he never wore anything else, so I could tell he was trying to pay attention to my feelings and act human. Sam and Dean told me that Castiel was a great guy, but he did not have the best "people skills" and sometimes would come off as insensitive.

I took slightly less than an hour to get everything and when I was done, I had two huge bags of clothes, plus bits and pieces of other things I had picked up along he way. Castiel would not let me carry them, and took them from me as I paid. The cashier smiled at us, commenting on what a great boyfriend I had. I was quick to correct her, but Castiel stood there expressionless, his blue eyes watching the store's entrance. He was constantly on the lookout, which made me feel safer, but I felt bad for making him feel as if he would have to babysit me everywhere I went. Apparently, as the two brothers relayed to me, he was furious with himself for leaving me behind back at the last town, but I could not really see how it was his fault.

We crossed the street to Red Robins and saw Dean and Sam picking at their fries. "Bottomless fries are the best," Dean announced as we walked over. I ordered a burger to go, and we were on our way off to a motel.

Again, we got conjoined rooms at a local hotel. It was located next to a park and looked nicer than the last place we stayed at- not that I was there to enjoy the hotel or anything. They even had a kitchenette in the rooms, and instead of a stand up shower, there was a tub-not a fancy one of course, but a tub all the same. Dean was tired of driving around and looking for a motel and when we passed by this little hotel, he simply parked and got the rooms. Despite being nicer, it costed around the same. I guess the standards in towns and city really differed.

I had bought a new duffle bag, which now contained some clothes and my necessities. I threw it on the bed when we got to the room. After a quick tour around the two rooms, the guys pushed two tables together and started to whip out their laptops and pieces of newspaper articles I did not know they had. I picked up one of the newspapers that described some freak accident or something. A woman was found dead in her own yard, apparently having froze to death. There were no signs or struggle, nor were there any traces of a break in.

"What are we dealing with?" Castiel said, standing behind Sam and reading off his laptop.

"I'd say this case was not a case. If we weren't called to deal with this, I wouldn't have come at all," said Dean, lying back on his chair.

"Yeah, but we did, so let's get this done with," Sam said, giving him a disapproving glance.

They came up with ideas as I ate my burger and sipped on the lemonade that I had bought earlier. They went through the list of what seemed like millions of creatures, but they could not be sure which one it was until they did some actual investigating. Another reason why we chose this hotel was because it was fairly close to the dead woman's neighbourhood and would make it convenient for them to pop back and fourth.

"We'll go check it out." Dean said, getting up and rummaging through his bag for a dress shirt. "Stay here, and stay out of trouble." Dean told Castiel and I.

Minutes later, Sam and Dean were dressed in black suits coupled with a blue striped tie on Sam and a red one on Dean. The two boys looked really good now that they had cleaned up- and let me tell you, they cleaned up nicely. They were not my type though, although I am not sure why. It was just that I did not feel romantically inclined towards them, but rather just very grateful they were here and saving the world and whatnot. I doubt I could say thank you enough times for them saving my ass. Same goes to Castiel. Compared to the two Winchesters, Castiel had a rugged handsome look to him. I wish I could know him better since he was the one who came to get me when I was in trouble in the first place, but like Sam and Dean said, he was not very good at interacting with people.

They checked to see if they had everything they needed, and I noticed that they had an FBI badge they brought along. Guess this was how they usually barged in on homes. I could hear the hum of the Impala's engine right outside our room's windows, since this was a one storey hotel, and consequently heard the sound trail away as they left the premises.


	11. Chapter 10

I got up to throw away the garbage that was my burger wrapper and assorted used napkins, and took a last sip of my lemonade.

"How long do you think they'll take?" I asked Castiel, who was flipping through a leather bound book that the boys had left behind.

"It depends. Sometimes they are gone for hours, and sometimes they return back almost right away." He said.

"So what should we do in the meantime?" I asked. I did not want to mindlessly waste my day away watching TV.

"What else is there to do?" Castiel asked me, cocking his head to one side.

"What do you usually do when the two of them are hunting? Or do you go with them?" I asked.

"They don't always want me around. I often just stay and wait." He said.

"And do what…?" I asked.

"Nothing. I just stand and wait." He said, as if that was the most obvious answer in the world.

I looked at him, not sure if he was kidding or not. But I doubted he was particularly good at making jokes. That was when the kitchenette caught my eye.

"Hey," I said, an idea popping into my head. "You ever cook?"

"No..." He said cautiously, catching on to where I was headed.

"Okay! Do you want to?" I asked. "I mean, we haven't had proper food for days, and plus, it's kinda fun!"

Grocery shopping usually would take up quite a bit of time, and we probably had time to spare. Castiel said he would come along, and I said I would teach him how to cook. I checked to make sure that there were pots and pans provided in our kitchen and thankfully, there was. I did not want to have to buy stuff we would never use again. Plus, when I would finally leave the boys and my life returned to normal, were they really going to cook? Yeah, I did not think so.

According to the lady at the front desk, the nearest supermarket was a few blocks away so I took my bag and we left the hotel. The supermarket was a big one. I was not sure if Castiel had been grocery shopping before, but he seemed very interested in how I inserted a coin into a shopping cart in order to release it from the rest of the line of carts. I pushed the cart through the automatic doors with Castiel tailing close behind.

Mentally, I tried to come up with some sort of meal that we could cook without too much effort. Salad was easy, and I missed having a bit of green in my life. I wheeled us over to the fruits and veggies section and chose a box of prepackaged salad that provided croutons and dressing. We could also probably cook up pasta of some kind. All we would need is meat sauce and the pasta, and a few other ingredients. I grabbed some tomatoes, garlic, and an onion. I also chose some plums because they would be a nice snack I could munch on.

I walked back to the cart where Castiel was waiting and dropped the things I was carrying. He grabbed hold of the handle, offering to push the cart around while I picked up stuff.

"Okay, let's go to the spaghetti aisle." I said, leading him away. I chose fettuccine and a can of tomato sauce, that promised ten times more flavour than their original blend. In the meat section, I picked up some ground beef so we could add it to the spaghetti. I asked Castiel if he knew what Sam and Dean would like to eat.

"Sam would like the salad. Dean would probably be alright with the meat you got." He said, thinking. "Oh! You can probably pick up some pie. Dean would like that."

The bakery section had lots of pies. I was craving some apple pie myself, so I took that. After I grabbed a six-pack of Coke, we were ready to pay. We headed over to the cash registers and loaded our items onto the conveyor belt. Seeing the magazines next at the register was weird. Several of them talked of one of the Kardashians and their latest romance fiasco. And then one of them claimed a certain celebrity had gained twenty-five pounds in a month. It was ridiculous that this was what people were interested about, especially after I realized the existence of hunters and the things they hunted. It all just seemed so trivial.

It still felt strange pulling out my fake credit card and handing it to the lady at the counter. I signed my made-up signature onto the receipt and we carried the bags back to the hotel.


	12. Chapter 11

Castiel gave the groceries another wary glance, not sure what I was going to do with them.

I filled a pot up with water and turned one of the stoves on. I needed to cook the spaghetti first. I put the salad greens into the fridge as we waited, and took out the meat. I left the pie on the table.

"Hey Cas," I said, "Want to help?"

He walked over to me, looking down at the stuff I had on the table.

"What can I do?" He asked.

"You can..." I said, looking around to see what would be easiest for him, "...cut the tomatoes!" I handed him a knife from the drawers, and quickly ran it under the water to make sure it was clean. I pulled out a chopping board and showed him how to dice the tomatoes.

He picked it up really fast, but I really wish he would take off that trench coat and roll up his sleeves or something. At this rate, he was going to get tomato juice all over his sleeves. I dumped the meat into a bowl, and washed my hands, going over to him.

"Hey," I said, "Stop for a second. Let me roll up your sleeves for you. Do you mind taking off your coat too? "

He stopped and I made him hold the hand he had tomato all over into a ball so I could slip the coat off him, and then proceeded to roll his sleeves up. That was probably going to make things easier.

I realized I forgot the salt and pepper, as I started to prepare the meat. Castiel told me that the guys had salt, and that I should just go through their stuff. Indeed I found the salt, and stole a tiny bit for the meat.

"Why do they carry salt around?" I asked, as I mushed the meat around in the bowl. The fettuccine was now boiling away in the pot.

"Salt repels ghosts and demons. They're a cleansing agent of some sort." He said. "If you draw a salt line around something, it prevents demons and ghosts from getting to them. But of course, they usually find some way around it and you'll end up where you started."

Castiel was done with the tomatoes, and he asked if he should chop the onions too. I warned him that it would make him cry, but he reminded me that he was an angel and doubted that an onion would have any effect on him.

"So much for being immune to onions?" I asked him, as he rapidly blinked his eyes due to the sting of the onions.

"I _am_ immune," He grumbled, "Jimmy Novak isn't." He told me who Jimmy was, and I found it fascinating. This was not his true form, but Jimmy's body was his one true vessel. If he showed me his true form, it would apparently take my eyes out.

"So do you guys have wings?" I asked, destroying the garlic cloves I had picked out.

"Yes, but humans can't see them," he replied. "I can make projections of them if I wanted to, but they're scaled down to my human form's size. My real wings are much bigger." He moved the finished onions aside and started to wash his hands.

Dang. I wanted to see angel wings. That would be quite a story to tell. But then again, I guess all this made for quite a story already.

I strained the fettuccine and on a separate pan I started to sauté the other ingredients. Finally, I added the tomato sauce into the mix and we were almost done.

I looked outside to realize it was almost dark out. Sam and Dean were still doing their investigating, and I had no idea when they would come back. I decided I would eat first, and heat up the pasta for them when they got back. I took a plate from the cupboard and started to fork spaghetti onto my plate, and then poured the meat sauce on top. It smelled so good that I wanted to stuff my face, but since Castiel was there, I guess I would have to mind my manners. I took out the salad and separated some of the veggies onto a bowl, and added the dressing and a bit of the croutons into the same bowl. I did not want to get the whole box soggy before the guys got back, so I just took my portion.

I saw Castiel taking a plate of his own, taking only a very small portion. He then sat down at the table across from me. I wonder when he put his trench coat back on?

"What made you want to eat?" I asked, between mouthfuls of salad. I was curious.

"Well, you put all that work into it, so I guess I wanted to try it." He said. " And Jimmy has always had a fondness for meat."

I thought that was very sweet and I beamed at him. I tried the pasta myself, and it felt good having something that was not overly greasy diner food. I had no idea how Sam and Dean did it.

After dinner, I washed the plates, as well as the other things that we ended up using to make the dinner. Castiel helped dry them, and after we were done, I was exhausted. I was also too full for pie, so that could wait till later. I did not know cooking was this tiring. At home, I would not have to pick up the groceries myself, nor did I have to hand wash all the dishes.

I plopped down on a sofa. It was starting to get really late. I suggested calling them, and Castiel did. No one picked up, which worried me.

"They're sometimes gone for days." Castiel said, hoping to ease my worries. But I could tell he was getting fidgety too.

"That house they went to is only a few blocks away?" I asked. "Why don't we go see if they're there?"


	13. Chapter 12

Castiel seemed reluctant to let me leave the hotel, but he wasn't going to leave me behind either. I went to retrieve my bag and pull on a cardigan, and just as I was going to ask him if he was ready to leave, he laid a hand on my forehead and suddenly, after I blinked, my surroundings had changed. We were now outdoors, and in a neighbourhood- I am guessing we were near the dead woman's house.

"What in the world was that?!" I asked him, whispering so that we would not disturb the neighbourhood. Inside, I was still a little shocked.

"Teleportation." He said. "It's faster this way."

I took another second or two to get over the fact that we had just teleported somewhere, and tried to get down to business.

"You know which house it is?" I asked.

"Not exactly, but I'm guessing it's the one that the Impala's parked in front of." He pointed to the black car in front of a dark blue- almost black in this light- house. Well, that was easy. But the thing was, where were they? The lights in the house were off. We did the only thing we could do: we decided to go and snoop around.

I could hear the TV from the house next door blaring, and laughter coming from another nearby. It seems like people were winding down after a long day. In contrast, the dark blue house was silent. I was wondering how we would get inside, and was about to suggest knocking the door down or something, but with a flick of his wrist, Castiel unlocked the door. That was handy.

The darkness beckoned us as the doors opened. It took me a while to adjust to the lack of light inside the house, but after a while I began to make out furnitures and paintings inside the house.

"Hello?" I ventured into the empty house.

That was when we heard the thumping. It came from downstairs. Cautiously, Castiel and I headed down the stairs to the basement. If I thought it was dark upstairs, it was even worse down here. I held up my phone and shone the screen light around hoping to illuminate my surroundings. It was getting creepy, so I kept one hand on Castiel, making sure I was not alone. There was a lounge area downstairs, but there was a lack of windows. We heard the thump again, and it came from the only room in the basement.

We walked over to it, and I twisted the knob, but it cold to the touch and locked. I tried knocking, and more sounds came from inside.

"Dean?" I asked, starting to recognize the sounds. I could hear him better now that we were right outside the door.

"Dori?" He replied. "Is Cas there?" His voice sounded strained.

"Yes, I'm here." Castiel replied, looking confusedly at the door.

"Hey, open this thing up!" Dean said, desperate. "Sam's knocked out. And I can get this goddamn door opened. It's getting colder by the second in here."

"I can't seem to use my powers. I was trying to open the door, but it's not working." Castiel said. That would probably explain why he seemed so confused.

"It's a ghost," Dean said from inside. "Some kid who died in the cold or something. Vengeful spirit. You gotta find some way to get us out. I don't know how much longer I can keep Sam with me."

I could tell that Dean was getting weaker as we spoke too. Just standing next to the door was making me cold. It seemed as if it was a cold spot in the house. I imagine being trapped inside a refrigerator would feel something like being trapped in that room.

I looked around the room, expecting to see the ghost. Of course, there was nothing there.

"The woman died outside?" Castiel thought aloud. "I'll go check. If you see the ghost, use this." He handed me a canister of salt that I recognized from Sam's bag in the hotel.

He disappeared. I decided to check upstairs again. I went back up to the kitchen, happy to have the faint streetlights outside to help me see. I wondered if I took warmed water from the tap and poured it on the door handle, would that defrost it? But if even Castiel could not open it, I doubted this would. This house did not have an upper floor, so this was it. I looked around and found a bedroom. It had toys inside- toys for a boy I would say. The Avengers bedspread and blankets were made, and looked like it had not been used by anyone for a while. If there was a little boy who lived here, then the woman who died must have been his mother or guardian?

Suddenly, the door to the room slammed shut.


	14. Chapter 13

Well, I guess I found the ghost. It was a little boy, who seemed to be around the age range of seven to ten. I gripped the canister of salt in my bag, and before he could come any closer, I whipped it out and scattered it onto the spectre. It disappeared in a flash and I hurried to open the door, but once I got it opened, the boy was standing right outside the door. I felt a force hit me in the stomach and hurled me back into the room. I hit the wall and I started to see stars. Great, now I made it angry. I no longer had the salt, since it was knocked out of my hand when I was thrown across the room.

"Hey," I said to the boy, "I'm sorry." He looked like a regular little boy, except his hair was plastered to his face. I could feel the temperature of the room drop.

He glared at me, daring me to make another move. "Why are you doing this?" I asked him, trying to keep my voice steady.

He made no reply, but was now looking more curious. "I don't mean you any harm. I just want to help you," I said, biding for time. I definitely had his attention now.

Out of nowhere, I heard Castiel's voice. He was yelling for me.

"I'm in here!" I screamed back. The boy's expression changed from curious to a snarl, now that I was not longer paying attention to him.

I heard pounding and attempts at opening the door, but I started to slowly felt frozen fingers curling around my neck. Although the boy was still standing in front of the door, I knew it was him who was cutting off my air supply.

"No," I shouted with difficulty, "Don't do that! You're making him angry!"

Castiel stopped, and so did the fingers that were grasping at my throat. The boy looked at me again, his eyes curious again.

"We're here to help you," I said, teeth starting to chatter. Man, this room was getting really cold. I was not entirely sure where I was heading with all this, but having watched my fair share of paranormal movies, people sometimes try to get the ghosts to see the light or something. And Dean did mention him being a vengeful spirit, so maybe I could make him less so.

"You can't help me." The boy said, voice laced with sadness. "I'm dead. My mother left me out to die."

"H-how did you die?" I asked, unable to stop shivering. I could barely feel my fingers now, but I still wrapped my arms around myself, hoping to conserve whatever heat I had left.

"I was in the pool. I fell." He said. "I screamed for her, but she never came. It was so cold when I died."

"D-did she know y-you were in the pool?" I asked, not willing to believe that a woman who would take such good care of this room, would let her son die like that.

"No." He answered. "She was showering. But I told her I would go outside and play. She didn't let me in the morning, so I went at night."

"Y-your mother must've been w-worried sick." I managed to say. "S-she never would have w-wanted this." I could hear Castiel calling outside, asking me if I was okay, but I had no time or breath to answer him.

"She's dead too now. I thought if she died, I could see her again. I was so angry with her." He said, looking down and disappointed.

"I know h-how you can s-see her again," I chattered through my teeth. "S-she's waiting f-for you." I wonder how long Sam and Dean had been down there. But I did not remember their room being quite as cold as this one. And Dean sounded better than me. Maybe it was because the little boy stayed in the room.

"Really?" He asked, his eyes shining with hope. "Where is she?"

"Y-you've got to r-reach out to h-her," I said. "S-she's i-in a better p-place. Y-you can go too i-if you t-try to r-rememb-ber h-her." Talking was getting really difficult now, but I could see it was working.

"I think I can see her." He said, eyes opened wide, staring off into the distance. "You're right. She's there! She's so bright!"

"G-go," I urged him. I wonder what frostbites feel like. It was hard to think straight anymore. His face lit up, and was it my imagination or did it seem like his hair was no longer plastered to his face? It now looked fluffier.

"Thank you," the little boy said to me, smiling brightly. When I blinked, he was gone.

The door bursted open. Castiel rushed over to where I was huddled up against the wall, my teeth no longer chattering because I was so tired and frozen. He rubbed my hands, but realized that the room was still not warming up. He effortlessly scooped me up in his arms and carried me out to the living room sofa. He took off his trench coat and wrapped it around me, and hugged me through the coat.

I heard Dean and Sam coming up- or rather, Dean carrying Sam up judging by the dragging sounds. Dean hoisted Sam up into an armchair and collapsed beside him on the floor.

"What happened here?" He asked, out of breath, but otherwise seemed fine.

"She was talking to the ghost. He made her room significantly colder than the one he left you guys in downstairs. I could see frost building up against the wooden door while she was inside." Castiel explained. I was huddled up against him, and had my head resting in between his shoulder and neck. His neck felt so warm compared to me that I was trying to steal whatever heat I could from him. He rubbed his hands up and down my arms under the coat, helping to generate what heat he could.

"Hey Cas," Dean said, "You should zap us back or something. We weren't exactly quiet, and I don't know if the neighbours heard."

He nodded and in a flash, we were back in the hotel. I was still in his arms, but I was starting to feel my fingertips. That meant I was not going to have to cut them off, right? He moved me to a couch inside the Winchester's side of the room, and sat down again as he did earlier, still rubbing heat back into me.

"I-I'm getting warmer," I told him, hoping he would calm down. The room was also much warmer than the deserted house back there, so slowly but surely, my body was starting to get back to normal.

I watched Dean as he checked up on Sam, who was laid out across a bed. They were still in their suits, except Dean had taken off his tie. He reached over to lift Sam's eyelid up, but was given a scare when Sam batted him away and groaned. I smiled when Dean jumped. He then gave his brother a glare.

I flexed my fingers and my toes inside my boots, realizing I now almost had full control of them. It felt warm and safe against Castiel, but I had to get moving or else he will probably never stop rubbing my arms.

"Hey," I said, pushing myself up, "I'm good now, thanks."

He looked relieved and he did stop his rubbing, but he did not look entirely convinced.

"I'll go take a warm shower. That'll heat me right up," I assured him. I slowly unraveled myself from his coat and gave it back to him, and slowly limped my way over to the bathroom, still getting used to feeling my legs again. But Castiel was not having any of that, and stood up to help me over to the washroom.

"Can you pass me my bag?" I asked him when we reached the bathroom. He walked over to my bed and took the bag to me. "I can take it from here, thank you!" I smiled at him.

I closed the door and drew a bath of steaming water, jumping right into it once I had shed my clothes. I could positively just melt into the hot water and die right now and I would be content.


	15. Chapter 14

It was light out when I woke up, but the Winchesters were still sleeping. I unplugged my phone that was charging from Sam's laptop and I pulled a hoodie on on top of my tank top and shorts then snuck outside. I did not want to wake them just yet, because we all had a long day. Castiel was nowhere to be found either, so I made my way over to the cafe at the hotel lobby.

The cafe was a small, homely one, fitting the look of the small hotel. I looked at the menu that was written on a black chalkboard and opted for a ham and cheese croissant and a hot chocolate. There were several other patrons there, all minding their own business. I wish I had a book too, so I could read while I ate my breakfast.

I brought my plate with my warm croissant, as well as my mug of hot cocoa over to an empty chair and table near the window and sat down. It was sunny outside and every once in a while someone would walk by. I wonder where we were headed next? Maybe I should give my mom a call now. She must have noticed by now? But I guess she was never overly protective of me since I sometimes spent days over at some friend's house to study- and plus, I was twenty-one. She probably thought it was time I left the nest. I wonder if she would send me some money. I wanted to keep illegal credit card transactions to a minimum.

My phone indicated that I had missed calls from several friends, and some texts asking me if I was sick or something. Pulling up my Facebook account also showed I had a lot of missed notifications. My old life was really trying to remind me that it had existed. I left a status on my Facebook wall saying I was visiting a sick aunt from out of town, and hoped that everyone would let me be. I was most probably failing my courses, and I had a midterm exam that I had definitely missed. At this rate, I will have to retake my third year university courses again- which hopefully, my mom will understand when I eventually explain all this to her.

I did not notice some guy sitting at the table next to me, but he caught my eye when I looked away from the window to take a sip of my hot chocolate. I smiled at him and he smiled back. He was in a buttoned up shirt and black jeans. Kind of cute with his strawberry blonde curly hair and light blue eyes. They were lighter than Castiel's. He looked closer to my age than the guys'.

"Hey," He said, a slight English accent dancing off the tip of his tongue, smiling.

"Hey," I said back.

"Nice day out, ain't it?" He asked looking outside.

"Yeah it is," I said. "I was just thinking how nice a picnic would be today!"

"My thoughts exactly!" He said. "So what are you doing here? You staying at the hotel? Or are you just here for a cup of-" He glanced at what I was drinking, "- hot chocolate?"

"Oh yeah, definitely just here for the hot chocolate," I laughed. "No, I'm just here for a visit with some friends. They had something to do here, so I tagged along."

He was also just visiting. He was making a tour around the States, being sick of British air. I told him that was silly, because I would much rather go to England than be here.

"Living costs there are so expensive!" He told me. "I'm surprised they haven't started charging us for the air we breath yet."

Soon enough I was done with my food and I excused myself to give the lady behind the counter back the plate and mug. I went over to say goodbye to the British guy before I left the cafe.

"Well, it was nice talking to you," He said, smiling as he took a sip of his tea. He raised out his hand to give me a handshake. "The name's Will by the way!"

"I'm Dori," I said taking his hand. "Nice meeting you! Maybe I'll catch you around."

I walked out of the cafe and went back to our room. I wanted to go out, but I was not sure if the Winchesters and Castiel would start freaking out, so I decided to go back first and check in with them.

I unlocked the door and heard the water running. Dean was still asleep in the other room, but Sam was obviously taking a morning shower.

Sam peeked his head out of the washroom, damp hair and all and checked to see who came in.

I gave a small wave and he told me that Dean and him had heated up the fettuccine from last night and that it was delicious. I do not know how they did it, but they had also finished the pie.

When Sam was done, he came out of the washroom, and seeing that Dean was still asleep, he rolled his eyes at the figure on the bed and threw the nearby TV remote at him. Dean shifted and mumbled something.

"Where were you earlier?" Sam asked, towel drying his hair.

"Went to the hotel cafe for breakfast. Didn't want to wake you guys," I said.

I went to get the remote and switched the TV on. Dean was starting to get up by now.

"We were thinking of staying in town for a few more days," Sam said. "Dean said he wanted to hit up a casino in town. Lay low for a bit?"

"Sounds good to me," I said. I was glad we were staying at a city, because if we were in a little town with nothing to do, it might drive me crazy.

Castiel appeared out of thin air again, just as Dean sat up.

"Yeah, running low on cash. Wanna try my luck at the casino." Dean blinking to wake himself up. "But you know what we can do in the meantime?"

"What?" I asked.

"Teach you how to shoot a damn gun."


	16. Chapter 15

After the boys had their brunch, Dean drove for about an hour until we got past the outskirts of the city. I was excited to learn how to use a gun, because let us be honest: a knife did not offer the same protection. Although my knife was special (for some odd reason), I felt that if someone got close enough that I could stab them, I am pretty sure I would already be dead.

He parked near a thicket. He opened the trunk of the Impala, raised the cover to the hidden stash of hunting gear and took two guns. The three of us got out followed him until he stopped at a place he was satisfied with. Sam also had a gun.

"Okay, let's start off with some easy basics," Dean said. "Do you know how to load a gun?"

I shook my head and he sighed. He gave me one of the guns and made me follow him as he showed me how to properly put the bullets into it. Meanwhile, Sam was also loading his gun up and then aiming at random things, playing around with his aim. I was impressed when I saw a branch come flying off a tree where he was aiming at.

When Dean was finally satisfied with the way I had loaded my gun, he starting explaining how to properly aim. There was some sort of thing called a front sight and a rear sight that was supposed to be aligned. It looked simple enough when I saw that they could easily be fit into one another if you looked at the at the right angle, but now the challenge was to actually aim the gun at something while keeping the two on the target.

Dean told me to try firing at a nearby tree and to hit its trunk. The first time I shot, it skimmed the edge of the trunk, but did not actually impact the tree.

"Okay, that's a good try," He said. "But you're not keeping your hand steady when you shoot."

"But there's this impact thing from the gun when I shoot that makes me move." I complained.

"Yeah, there's a little recoil." He explained. "But you'll have to learn to work with it. Different guns will have varying levels of recoil. Keep that in mind."

Sam and Castiel seemed to be playing some sort of game behind us. I could hear Sam's gun going off every now and then. I turned to look and was horrified at the fact that Sam was shooting _at_ Castiel. Dean turned around to look at what I was so shocked about. He was also curious as to what was going on.

"Sammy, what are you doing?" Dean shouted over to him.

"Trying to shoot him." Sam said, both hands on the gun trying to aim at Castiel. We started to understand what was happening when Castiel suddenly disappeared and reappeared on a different spot, and Sam had to quickly react and shoot.

"It's fine," Castiel called over to us. "He wont be able to get me." He suddenly disappeared again, Sam's bullet going through the empty air where Castiel had occupied earlier. "And even if he does, a bullet will not exactly hurt."

Dean thought that was hilarious, but I was not so sure. But nonetheless, we let them continue with their game and I continued to practice shooting.

In the end, I managed to be able to hit the tree trunk at a respectable distance. The only problem was that I could hit within a general area, but not specifically at one spot of the tree. The tree I was practicing with was also not too narrow in girth, so I supposed it was easier than when I would actually have to shoot something in real life. However, I was getting really tired, and my arms were aching from having to hold them up for so long and keeping steady.

"I say it's time for some food." Dean finally announced. He patted his stomach to emphasize his point. "I want me a good burger and fries."


	17. Chapter 16

Back in the city, we went to one of the first bars we passed by. It was not exactly a bar in the traditional sense, since there was a dance floor with a live band playing, accompanied by the usual dimmer lighting one would find in a bar. We sat down at one of the many booths that lined the bar which curved its way around a semi-circle table. It was one of the booths that were further away from the band playing, so I could still hear myself think through the music. I quickly used the washroom and when I sat down at the booth, it seemed like both Dean and Sam were ready to order as the menus were closed in front of them on the table. I chose to have a pulled pork sandwich and a cider. The two guys opted for beers, and forced Castiel to have one as well.

I pulled out my phone as we waited for our food to arrive. My Facebook status seemed to satisfy everyone's curiosity, so that was comforting. I desperately wanted to call up one of my best friends: Michelle. She was who I was supposed to meet at the cinemas the day I got attacked by the daeva. However, there was no way I could explain this to her without sounding crazy. I was also scared of the possibility that letting her in on all of this would put her in danger in some way.

The waitress came back with our food and drinks, and I am pretty sure Dean took a bit of his burger within five seconds of her having put down his plate of food. He gave a satisfied grunt and washed it down with some of his beer.

Castiel took a wary look at his beer, and I watched as he took a huge gulp of it. He did not seemed bothered by the taste- a taste I had always hated and had never acquired- so I am guessing he has had alcohol before. I wonder if alcohol worked on angels.

I played around with my fries and ketchup, and then finally ate my sandwich. They definitely served some good meat here, and the tender shreds of pulled pork were heavenly. As I ate, a figure came up to our booth, and when I looked up, I recognized Will. I did not remember him being so tall.

"Hello Dori!" He said, looking at my companions. His British accent danced around his words. "These your friends?"

"Oh yes-" I said, swallowing my bite of sandwich. "This is Sam, Dean, and Castiel." I gestured to them as I listed off their names. "And this is Will." I told the three guys.

"Nice to meet you," Sam said, reaching out a hand to shake. Will took it and took a seat beside me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, choosing to eat my fries again so I could carry a conversation.

"I heard about this place and thought I would give it a try. Actually, that was a week ago. I've been back thrice since. I like the live music while I eat," he said.

I looked out to the band that was playing some sort of soft rock piece, and saw that there were now people littered on the dance floor with their friends. Dean suddenly spoke up.

"Hm, I see some ladies out there," He said thoughtfully, finishing off his fries. "So whatcha think Sammy, let's go hunting?"

"Well when you say it like that..." Sam said, "How about no?"

I laughed and so did Will. Castiel was cautiously watching Will, sipping away at his beer.

"Comon then," Dean said narrowing his eyes at Sam, then looking at me. "Dori, wanna go dance?"

"It'll be fun." Will said when I raised an eyebrow at Dean. "Come on!" He dragged me out of the couch and led me away to the dance floor. Dean was trailing behind us.

The music changed to a faster piece, and Will and I started to goofily jump around with the rest of the people on the floor. It was quite fun when you get into the music, and Will made sure I was constantly laughing by pulling ridiculous dance moves now and then. I did some stupid ones myself too amidst our laughs. At some point, he pulled me over to the bar and got me two shots of alcohol as he took some himself. That made everything even more fun since I could feel the alcohol do its trick. Dean was now at the bar with some girl he had snatched off the dance floor. He actually did not do much dancing, despite trying to get someone to come over with him. I guess he was just going straight for the kill. I honestly could not imagine him as the dancing type either.

When Will and I were done with all the dancing, we headed back over to the booth. Castiel had apparently ordered another two bottles of beer, and Sam was finishing off a slice of cake. I plopped down next to Castiel and Will did the same next to me.

"Where's Dean?" I asked the two of them.

"I'll go check on him," Sam said, pushing his plate away and walked over to his brother at the bar.

I was kind of sweaty now, and flushed. I could also see a bit of sweat peeking out from Will's curly hair on his forehead. It was a lot of fun and I was glad he made me go out.

"How's your beers?" I asked Castiel.

"They were alright." He said, taking the last swig of beer in his current bottle.

"So, do you get drunk?" I asked, knowing he would know what I meant.

"Not from beers, no." Castiel replied.

"Heavy weight, eh?" Will asked him smiling, still slightly out of breath from dancing.

"I don't know what that means," Castiel said in a serious tone.

Will gave me a look as if to ask if this guy was serious, and I laughed. "Yeah, he is I guess," I said to Will.

Sam had returned from his quest and told us that Dean was probably not coming back to the hotel tonight. Wow he was good.

"How are we getting home?" I asked, realizing Dean was most likely going to take the car.

"I have a car," Will offered. "We all live at the same place anyway, so it's no trouble."


	18. Chapter 17

We left and piled into Will's car- a truck. It seemed to be a deep ruby in shade.

"Did you buy a car?" I asked, thinking back and remembering that he was just a tourist in the States.

"Yeah," He said, starting the engine. I sat next to him in shotgun, while Castiel and Sam took the back. "I reckon if I was going to do some cross country travelling, it may as well be by car."

He told us about the places he had been to so far, and Sam would butt in every once in a while to offer his view on that particular place. It seems like he has been making good use of his time and really took time to explore each place before he left. I asked him if he was thinking of returning home anytime soon, but he said he was not done here just yet. He liked the climate so he was probably going to stay for a bit longer.

"Plus, now that I've met you guys, it seems like I'll have someone to keep me company," he said, giving me a wink before his eyes turned back to the road.

I laughed and I could see him smiling. We pulled up into the parking lot of the hotel and we got off the truck. He lived on the other side of the hotel, but not too far. We said our goodbyes and Sam told him he should join us at the casino tomorrow. He asked if he could exchange numbers so he could keep in touch and Sam gave him his number.

I unlocked the door to my room, while Sam did the same with his.

"I don't like that guy," Castiel said once I closed the door.

"He seems nice. Plus, he has a British accent," I joked. "What's not to like?"

"Accents play no part in one's inclination to liking another," he stated seriously. "I'll be back tomorrow. I'm going to check in on heaven and see if they have further information on you. Stay out of trouble and call me if you need help." He seemed peeved, but once I blinked, he had already disappeared.

* * *

Someone was shaking me awake, and I mumbled "huh?" quite a few times in order to quell the shaking, before I realized they were not going to let me get back to sleep. I opened my eyes to see Dean standing over me saying something. I rubbed my eyes, trying to get him in focus.

"Cas is back and he's got news," Dean said, moving aside so Castiel could take his place, towering over me. I propped a pillow up so I could sit back on it in my bed.

"Sit down," I yawned, patting the edge of my bed.

He took a seat and looked at me with his usual somber expression. "I've got further instructions. But they are not much to go on." He said.

"What is it?" I asked, curious and unable to believe that someone up above really had plans for me.

"They have not entirely figured it out yet, but it appears that not just demons, but most supernatural creatures, want you. Not all of them. Only the ones who know what we do not." He continued. "They say that if they get you, things will become very difficult for us."

"Who's us? Like angels? Or humans?" I asked.

"Both." Castiel said. "You are a key to unlocking power that they can control and use."

"Wait...I can unlock powers?"

"Yes. We have yet to find out what, and despite all that I have told them about you, they can't seem to place everything together. For now, we just go to keep you away from harm- or else things will get bad."

I sat there in silence, as the fact that I was most probably not going to make it out alive dawned on me. Sure, if I stuck with the Winchesters, they could help me fend away a demon or two. But if everything was after me, that was a different story altogether.

"We've been through worse," Dean said breaking the silence.

"Like the apocalypse?" Sam asked, giving Dean a grin.

"What apocalypse?" I asked, looking up at them.

"Exactly." The two brothers said at the same time.


	19. Chapter 18

Despite my seemingly imminent doom, the two brothers still believed that they had this under control. That was comforting for me, of course, and with Castiel by my side, I was really starting to think there would be a way out.

So they still decided that going to the Casino would be fun, and to be honest, I have never actually been, so it would be a cool experience. Sam gave Will a call, and he said he would meet us there after he got dinner. We piled into the Impala and Dean drove us away.

We pulled up into a full parking lot, with a bright red neon sign that indicated we were at a Casino. It was not too big, nor impressive from the outside, but I guess that was how the brothers liked it. They chose their casinos like they did their motels.

Sam and Dean went to a poker table, and I watched them for a bit. Dean was losing, and Sam was winning some, then consequently losing it all again. I would play, but I did not want to risk it. I was never really one to believe in luck- and in gambling, you had to beat all the odds. I remember learning about this in my Economic theory lectures back in my first year university class, and they carefully explained how the probability of you winning anything significant at a casino was very slim. But all the same, people flock to them, believing it will give them their big break.

I got bored of watching the match after Dean angrily threw his cards onto the table, losing yet another round. Castiel was watching from Sam's shoulder, but seeing that I departed from the table, he too left the brothers. I saw an eating area at the casino, and was surprised they actually offered quite a wide variety of different foods. I sat down at one of the bar tables and looked through the menu placed in front of me.

This place seemed to carry both regular western food, as well as a variety of Asian foods- many of them deep fried. I saw the sushi section and wanted to get the California rolls because I have not had them in ages! I remember having those with my mom every weekend- back when she had weekends off. I made my order and looked to Castiel, who had taken the place next to me by the bar, looking out at the noisy slot machines, and chattering gamblers. Looking back at the bar area, I could see an old lady who seemed to be on her fifth drink judging by her empty glasses, and some guy who looked like he was in a motorcycle gang chowing down a big piece of steak. Assorted gamblers who were taking a break also littered the tables around us. This place really had an interesting array of people.

"There's something I have to tell you..." Castiel started, now turning to look at me cautiously. But whatever it was he had to tell, he was cut off by Will's arrival.

"Hey you two!" He said, making his way over. Will was wearing a dark purple cardigan on top of a grey v-neck shirt.

"Hi Will," I said. Cas nodded at him. "Want anything to eat?" I asked gesturing to sit down on the empty bar stool on my other side.

"Nope," He said, sitting down. "I stopped by a sandwich shop on my way over here. Trying to eat healthy!"

"Do you gamble?" I asked, giving a slight tilt of my head towards the floor of dimly lit betting tables and machines.

"Try not to," He said. I noticed how British his 'not' was. For some reason, I thought it was very out of place in this setting.

I heard a plate being placed down on the table and saw that a waiter had put my California roll down in front of me from the other side of the bar. I thanked him and tore open the paper wrapping around my wooden chopsticks, digging in. I hesitated, and asked if either Castiel or Will would like a piece. They both declined so I went ahead and happily ate away.

Will asked me what I had been up to, and I thought back to how I had just found out that everything supernatural was hunting for me. I wonder if they wanted me dead or alive? I am hoping alive, but I doubt staying alive would be enjoyable if they got to me. I told him I did a bit of reading- which was not entirely a lie because I had picked up a book and flipped through the first chapter.

I pushed away the empty plate away from me when I was done and wiped my mouth on a napkin. Castiel was staring at a man sitting at one of the tables nearby. I was about to tell him that it was rude, but I realized that the man was staring at me. He had dark greasy hair, and wore a maroon dress shirt that went well with his hair. I felt uncomfortable, and I automatically felt around for my knife. That was when I realized I had left my bag in the car.

"Hey, I left my wallet and stuff back at the car. You guys mind staying here so they don't think I'm doing a dine and dash?" I asked, hopping off the stool.

"Yeah, sure, we'll be here," Will said, waving me on my way. As I walked away I smiled when I overheard Will asking Castiel where he was from. That would be quite a story. I wonder what Castiel will end up telling him.


	20. Chapter 19

I passed by Dean and asked him for the keys, explaining my lack of bag situation. He handed me the keys, telling me not to lose it, before snapping his attention back to the dealer, who now flipped up another card on the table. I hurried to the black car, unlocking it and bent down to get my bag. I felt a tap on my shoulder, and when I turned around, I saw the man who was staring at me earlier.

I reached for the knife in my bag, but my bag was ripped from my hands from a seemingly invisible force. I stared dumbfounded at the bag that flew back where it was earlier on the backseat.

"So you're the one we're all supposed to be looking for?" Greasy hair guy said, his mouth turning up into a horrible snarl. He blinked, his eyes turning into black spheres.

I tried to close the Impala's door so I could head back into the casino, but the door would not budge when I tried to slam it shut. I guess greasy hair guy was using his stupid powers to keep it there. He better not scratch the door. Dean would kill me.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said, trying to sidestep him, "But my friends are in there waiting for me. So if you could please just-"

I saw that Castiel had come outside, probably to check on why I was taking longer than necessary. God bless him. Which I am sure He already does.

He flashed over to where we were, and the greasy hair guy gave him a glance as he appeared near us.

"Ah, the guardian angel?" He asked Castiel. "What an honour to meet you. They call me Gregory."

"I cannot care less," Castiel replied. "Dori, I want you to listen to me-"

"When I talk, you treat me with respect!" Gregory said. I felt myself being slammed against the side of the car. My arms and legs were pressed to my side, and I was forced to rigidly stand there, pressed against the Impala.

"-you can fight back." Castiel finished.

I stared at him incredulously. "How exactly do I do that?"

"I can't teach you. I don't know how myself." He said, obviously getting frustrated. "How did you make that ghost willingly go into the light?"

"I guess I just wanted him to believe there was something there for him?" I managed, trying to recall the event. "I don't remember! I think I attributed the whole thing to a miracle."

"Okay, that's it. You should shut up." Gregory said. I felt something holding my lips shut, and all I could do now was mumble.

"Then _will_ it." Castiel said to me, his dark blue eyes giving me strength as they bore into me. "Project negativity. Force him to feel fear."

In that moment I believed him. And I turned to greasy haired Gregory and looked into his sclera-less eyes, and tried to make him back down. How does this even work? I felt him pushing me harder against the car. I was not sure if it was to provoke me, or if he was just showing off. It really pissed me off that this greasy, gross man was treating me so trivially. Sure, I may not be a hunter, nor do I know how to work magic like Cas, but I was definitely better than him. He was enjoying this, slowly cutting off my blood circulation to various parts of my body. I felt myself staring into him, hate and anger starting to build inside me. Not being able to move or talk, I spoke through my eyes.

And that was when I felt the bind he had on me loosen. His face changed, clearly shocked. No longer was he smirking, but his eyes widened and he raised his eyebrows. All at once, I was able to move my body again. He seemed to have let go due to disbelief. Composing himself, Gregory gave me one last glare, and vanished.


	21. Chapter 20

"What the hell was that?" I asked, once I broke out of my trance.

I saw Will coming out from the casino, peering around the parking lot until he noticed the two of us, then proceeded to walk over. I was a bit out of breath from the struggle, but I forced myself to breath normally so he would not think something was up.

"Wanted to check up on you. Cas here disappeared when I turned around, and I had no idea where he went," Will explained when he got to the Impala. "I paid for you already, so you're good. What's going on?"

"This one guy tried asking me back to his place," I answered quickly. "Cas came out and told him off."

"Good going man!" Will said, giving Cas a clap on his back. "Let's celebrate you getting rid of that creep and go back in for a drink?"

"Or, we can go back to that dancing-slash-bar place?" I asked hopefully. I wanted to leave the casino because I was started to suspect that Gregory was not the only demon there. It seemed like he was there to test the waters, and he was obviously interested when he saw what I could do. I really needed to talk to Castiel about this, since he seemed to have been hiding something from me, because I was equally curious. But he was now avoiding eye contact with me, so I guess I would have to wait till later tonight.

"Sure!" Will's face lit up. "You need to tell your friends in there?"

We went inside again, stopping at the poker table. Sam said that he was out, and wanted to quit while he still broke even. Dean glared at the cards in his hand giving them a hard, long stare, and then threw them down, gruffly saying "Fold." I guess they were coming with us. However, they were not coming quietly. In between explaining his disbelief on how he lost all his hands, Dean also said that he hated dancing. He teased Sammy on how he lacked the social skills required when partying, in which Sam retorted that someone called Jessica used to make him go to parties, so he was well versed in how to live life. But Dean agreed to go if he could have some drinks.

"When did you come home yesterday?" I asked Dean as we made our way to the Impala again. He was there when I woke up in the morning, but when he returned was a mystery to me.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He said giving me a mischievous wink. I rolled my eyes at him. "I don't like being there in the morning," he added as if to compensate for his crappy answer. He seemed like the type to break hearts, so leaving before you woke up did fit the picture. But getting to know him, I was starting to understand that there was more to him than that. I knew that if something mattered, he would not be as nonchalant as that.

We all piled into the Impala, and Will led the way driving his red truck in front of us. The drive took a short ten minutes, and when we got there, Dean went straight to the guy behind the bar. I guess he really was trying to get over what he lost in the casino. But then again, he had an unlimited supply of money on his credit cards, so I was not sure what he was so upset about. Maybe it was just the fact that he lost.

I wanted to join him, and so I did. I had the worst news delivered to me this morning, and I deserved a drink. I also was bothered that Castiel did not tell me everything he knew. I went up beside Dean, and saw that he had already taken two shots, and was working on a third shot of some dark brown liquid.

"I'll have two of what he's having," I said to the man who was wiping glasses behind the bar and carefully stacking them on the table in front of him.

Will came up behind me and said he would too. I said I would pay for him as he paid for my food. We quickly took the shots, and I puckered my face at how gross it tasted.

I told Sam he should take a shot too, just for fun. He said he would, be he told us he had a better idea.

"Watch this," He said, trying to lift the mood. It was obvious that both Dean and I were not exactly overjoyed right now. We all watched as he told the bartender to give him thirteen shots of whiskey. My jaws dropped, but I watched on.

When the bartender was done filling the thirteen shot glasses, Sam handed over his credit card, which was promptly accepted by the machine, and then he started to separate the glasses into two groups. One group had three, and the other had the remaining ten glasses.

"I see what you're doing," Dean shouted out, smiling. "Cas, drink up buddy."

Castiel looked at the glasses, and gave me a look. I realized my jaw was still hanging open. There was no way he could down all those.

"One, two, three!" Sam counted, and took his first shot.

We watched as Castiel took shot after shot, until he was all done. Sam finished his as well and beamed at Cas. Dean was laughing at how shocked Will and I were.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were a heavy weight mate," Will said. "Sure that's not going to hit you all at once?"

Castiel wiped his lips on his trench coat sleeve, grinning at us. I could not help but clap for him. I was still mad at him though.

"Anyone up for a second round?" Dean asked. We were all up for more, though I was not sure how Castiel would hold up. However, the Winchester's lack of worry made me think that Castiel could hold his alcohol. I guess you do learn something new everyday.


	22. Chapter 21

In the end, I had another three shots, which basically meant I was starting to lose my balance. However, I was also forgetting about the whole being hunted thing, which felt nice. My head felt fuzzy and wonderful. I had no idea how much more the guys had to drink, but we were all getting happier by the minute.

Again, Will and I ended up heading towards the dance floor. The song the band was playing was a moderate one, and I remember having heard it on the radio at one point or another. I managed to drag the other three with us, but Dean soon went back to the bar and chatted up another fetching girl. Sam started to dance with a girl nearby, whose face I could not actually make out. The amount of drinks Castiel had probably was starting to work, because he was swaying to the music with us, his eyes closed. I could not help but think that he looked adorable and goofy.

Will was hilarious, dancing way faster than the song called for. His dancing caught this one girl's attention, and I could see her slowly dancing her way over to us at the side. I was laughing at Will, as well as Castiel, who now looked like he was trying to copy Will's dance moves. Maybe I was drunk, but I could not stop giggling. The girl finally got to us and casually pretended to bump into Will, which caused him to turn around. I met her eye and gave her a wink, knowing what she was up to. She said sorry, then asked if he would like to dance with her. Will looked at me, and I told him I would stick with Castiel and told him to go on his way. The girl gave me a grateful nod and dragged him away.

Just as he left, the band started to slow their tempo even more. I did not want to be awkward, so I asked Castiel if he would dance with me. He obliged, but told me he would have no idea how.

"You just go with the flow!" I told him, pulling him towards the middle of the dance floor, as I stumbled my way onto it. The music was quite slow, so I placed Castiel's hands on my waist and I put my arms around his neck and led him into a rhythm of swaying from side to side, matching the beat of the music. He looked shy for a second, and his piercing blue eyes met with mine. My senses may have been dulled, but his eyes were so intense I was forced to look away and pretend to watch the band. I slowly found myself pulling him closer so I could rest my head on his chest as we swayed. He stiffened up at first, but then I guess he learned from the other dancing couples around us and rested his head atop of mine. I closed my eyes, all warm and comfy. Now if only things could stay this calm for a while. I could feel the horrors of what lay outside pushing at the back of my head, but it was easy to push them back in my state. I felt very safe in an angel's arms.

I was starting to get so comfortable I could fall asleep standing up. That was when I heard Castiel start to speak. I could feel the vibrations in his throat as he spoke.

"I am unaccustomed to this," He said.

I kept my head on his chest, still in my contented state. "You're doing great. A true natural," I assured him.

"No, I don't mean dancing." He said. I lifted my head up to look at him, confused. He looked thoughtful. I was impressed. After all the alcohol he had, how he managed to still look like he was thinking was beyond me.

"Huh?" I asked. We were still swaying to the music, but no longer in beat.

"When I am around you, I feel warmer." He told me, looking off into the distance behind me as he spoke. "Not exactly temperature wise, but- I do not completely understand it. But I like having you around. I like having you near." He pulled me in closer again, as if to emphasize the fact.

I put my head against his chest again, slowly digesting what he was saying. It hurt my brain when I tried to focus my thoughts, but I did it anyway. Was this a confession or something?

"Well, you're under orders to keep me out of harm's way. Maybe that's why?" I said, speaking aloud the only reasoning I could come up with.

"I originally thought that was what it was," Castiel said, "But I am beginning to realize it may be more than that."

"Do you-" I said, lifting my head up again, "I mean, are you saying you like me?"

"Of course I like you." He stated, now stopping our swaying. "What I mean to say is that it feels different from simply liking you. I don't know how to describe it."

That was what I meant when I asked him if he liked me, but he did not understand what I had meant without me being direct. Oh Castiel. It sure was hard to talk to you.


	23. Chapter 22

The music changed, and it became fast again. I pulled Castiel off the dance floor and into one of the booths nearby so we could sit down and talk. I shook my head, trying to clear away the fog that the alcohol had placed there.

"I don't know what to say," I started. His confession made me think about how I felt towards him. I felt safe around him- but I have always attributed that to the fact he could smite whoever the hell he wanted. But I did realize that although I was not attracted to the Winchesters, I always forced myself look at Castiel in an unromantic way. I think from the beginning, I told myself how inappropriate that would be. He was an angel and I was only human. I tried to look to him as the older brother I never had, but I realized that Sam and Dean fit that role more than anything. I have always tried to not think about Castiel too much.

"I talked to Dean about it the other day, while you were asleep," he told me. I had gone quiet. "He told me I was experiencing love. But I know what love is. I have watched humans for as long as I could remember, and I have loved them, just as my father had. Humans are such wonderful creatures, far smarter than anything else my father has created. But you are different. You fight for yourself, you speak your mind, but at the same time, you are very kind. I now know so much more about you, but that does not change how I feel. I find my thoughts wandering to you when I am alone, and I worry about you when I am away. I guess it may be a different kind of love." He paused, and then he spoke again.  
"I did not want to approach you, because I was afraid you would react as you would now. I am still trying to figure out what I am experiencing, but I guess it slipped when we were together earlier. I am sorry."

It was rude of me to stay quiet, and now Castiel felt bad. And did he just apologize for liking me? If anything, I was flattered more than offended. I quickly tried to come up with something to say. But I was pretty speechless, given what he had just told me.

"I don't know how I feel about you," I told him truthfully. I could barely make sense of the situation that we were in, given that the alcohol still needed time to wear off. "I always feel safe when I'm around you, and I think you are an amazing pers-I mean angel. Not that I know a lot of other angels. You know what I mean." My head was starting to pound. It was most probably the alcohol and the fact that I was trying to not sound stupid. I wish I did not have to use my brain right now.

Castiel seemed completely sober now. It took him like what?- twenty shots to get buzzed? Then he recovers in barely any time. I was a bit jealous of him.

"I think I need some time to sort out my feelings," I finally settled on telling him. I did not want to say anything I would regret, since I was still unable to think properly.

"That is alright," He said to my relief. He did look a bit sad though, which made me feel horrible. "I'm not going anywhere."

I smiled at him, and I saw him returning the smile. I no longer wanted to dance, but I did want to sober up. I remember there was a time when taking five shots of alcohol would not even affect me. I had a phase when my friends and I would go out clubbing, and frequented parties. Then we started to get sick of them and settled down in school. I think that was probably a phase everyone went through during their college days.

I laid my arms down on the table in front of me, and rested my head on top of them, closing my eyes, trying to block out as much stimulus as I could.

"Do you want to go home?" He asked me, seeing that I was not feeling too well.

"No, it's okay. I can wait it out. I don't want to force the others to go too." I opened my eyes again to see if I could spot the Winchesters and Will, but it was a busy night as it was a Friday, and the bar was crowded.

"I can always just teleport us back," he told me.

"How would we explain that to Will?" I mumbled into my arms.

"I honestly do not care what he thinks. I am sure we will be able to make up some story if we have to. If you are feeling unwell, we should go," he insisted.

I did not really need much more encouragement, and so I agreed. Castiel went off to let at least one of the brothers know, and then he came back to the booth.

"Let's go?" He asked.


	24. Chapter 23

_WARNING: Fluff ahead. Proceed with caution.  
_

* * *

Castiel helped steady me when we got zapped from the bar to the hotel room. It was a relief to be away from all the loud music and the warmth of all the people that were congregated in the bar. I somehow found myself tangled in his arms, facing him. I looked up at him, and saw his eyes gazing into mine. The room was lit only by the moonlight that shone through the windows, as we had not turned on any of the lights yet. Despite the lack of lighting, I could still see the blue that was Castiel's eyes.

All at once, it all seemed too much. Again, I was in the safety of his arms and I felt myself relaxing, the alcohol no longer causing my head to pound, but rather went back to being a light fog that relaxed my thoughts. I found myself trailing away from his eyes, and settled to looking at his mouth. His pale pink lips seemed even paler in the moonlight, but looked very inviting. I lifted my eyes up again to meet his eyes, as if asking for permission. He seemed to understand the need I suddenly felt, and he moved his mouth closer to mine. I moved to close the distance between us, and then our lips touched.

The kiss was gentle at first, almost fragile. I was too scared to go beyond that. But then I felt his hand pressing against the small of my back, pushing me even closer to him, and then I just let go. It made my brain explode in fireworks, and the calm cloudiness that I had felt before was replaced with a bubbly feeling of excitement. I could feel his stubble brushing across my chin as our lips moved, which also made me feel another rush.

When we finally broke away, we were both slightly out of breath.

"You are very skilled at that," I said lamely. "But I guess you have probably hooked up with millions of people?" That was meant to be a joke, but Castiel instantly wanted to reassure me that he had not. Apparently, the only other person he had kissed was some chick named Meg, and he had no idea why he had done that. He started talking about how he had seen the pizza man do it, so he did it too. I had no idea what he was talking about, and I was not sure if any of that was supposed to make sense to me, but I was content to just listen. I was still in his arms, but I realized that with my excitement dying down, sleepiness once again set in. I broke away from him, but pulled in again to give him another kiss on the cheek- for reassurance. He looked down at me, a heart-melting smile on his face. I told him I should wash up and head on to bed. I quickly washed my face, changed into my pyjamas, and slunk my way over to the bed.

Castiel was looking out into the night through the windows, casting a shadow onto the bed and the room. He turned around to me when he heard me coming back. He watched as I pulled back the covers and laid on my side so that I could see him. I was still bursting with emotion, which made it hard for me to go to sleep, but I did not want to make rash decisions and ruin our relationship. Whatever our relationship was. I was still confused as ever, but I could not doubt that I definitely felt something when it came to Castiel. We just looked at each other in silence, both of us slightly smiling.

"Hey," I said, as an idea came to me. "Would you want to lie down? I mean, just so you're not simply standing there." He looked confused. I actually just wanted to feel him near me, remembering how nice it was earlier. "I'd sleep easier," I quipped up, wondering if that would persuade him to come over.

He smiled at that and nodded. He took a moment to draw the thinner, sheerer curtain so that there was still moonlight leaking into the room, but it was less distracting. He then walked over to the other side of the bed, and pulled that side of the covers back, as he had seen me done so moments earlier. I heard his shoes' thud against the carpeted floor of the room, and he took off his trench coat and blazer. He also removed his tie, and then he gingerly inched his ways closer to me on the bed. He took a place on his pillow that was fairly close to me, and I moved closer to him instead of being so near the edge of my side of the bed. I still was unsatisfied with the gap between us and shuffled over closer to him. That was when Castiel offered his arm for me to lie against, which I happily took. I nestled myself into his arm and settled my head into the crook of his neck. I accidentally gave a sigh of contentment when I finally felt safe and secure. I heard him give a small, quiet chuckle.

That night I slept like a baby.


	25. Chapter 24

Waking up was the awkwardest thing ever. I had forgotten the events of the night before, so when I woke up- still in Castiel's arms- it took me approximately five seconds to give a yelp and jump as far away from him as possible on the bed.

I heard laughter, which I traced back to Sam and Dean from the other room. I looked back at Castiel and he looked hurt.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," I blurted out. I was still a bit out of it, as I literally just woke up, and was still trying to piece the events of last night together. I jumped off the bed and headed straight for the washroom so that I could do some thinking alone.

Okay, so I remember going to the bar, after I did that weird thing with the demon. Right, I still need an explanation of what happened there. And then we all drank, which was fun. I forgot about my imminent doom for a while. Then I danced with...Castiel? Wait, Castiel danced? Okay, sure whatever. And then... That was when my recollections really started to not make sense. But it was also when I realized that they _had_ happened. I remembered the way it felt in Castiel's arms, our kiss, and then how I asked if he could slip under the covers with me. Thankfully, my brain was able to assure me it did not go further than that. And I guess that is how I ended up with him in bed with me just now. I was pretty impressed with how I managed to piece that all together in the short span of my shower.

I walked out of the bathroom, towel still in hand as I rubbed it against my hair hoping it would pick up more moisture.

"Had fun last night?" Dean teased from the doorway of their room that peeked into mine.

"Shut up." I said. Castiel now looked like regular Cas again, back in his trench coat. I went over to the door and shut the door in Dean's face. I had to talk with Castiel alone.

He looked at me expectantly, but it was obvious neither of us knew what to do.

"So, last night..." I started, "To clarify, you did say you 'like' me right?" I emphasized the word like with semi colons in the air.

"Yes, that is correct," he said, deadpan.

I sighed. Not because I was disappointed with his confession, but because I did not want this to ruin our relationship. This was definitely not going anywhere- I will probably die soon. And even if I manage to live through this, my life will still end sooner or later. I did not know if it was worth the heartbreak- for both of us.

Castiel took my sigh the wrong way, and he sat down next to me on the bed, telling me I could forget he said that, and that things can go back to normal. He said that if I did not return his sentiment, he did not wish to force it upon me.

"No, it's not that," I said, and begun to voice what I was thinking about earlier: my mortality. The relief that spread through his face was unmistakable, which made my heart do this weird, irregular beating thing.

"I do not see why we have to see it like that," he said finally. "If there is anything I have learned about mankind and their comparatively short lifespans, it is that they make the most out of it. They take a few decades, and turn it into centuries of memories. They turn everyday life into something rich and unforgettable."

He was looking directly at me again, and I just sat there looking back at him. What he said was so beautiful, but also made me _really _think about how short life was. I swear, I almost wanted to cry. I think I teared up, because Castiel's expression changed to one of concern, and he brushed my wet hair out of my eyes.

"You're sad," he stated simply.

"No, really?" I asked sarcastically. "You're making me fall in love with you, and then all I can think about is how I'm going to die. I liked it better when my death did not seem so tragic."

He seemed to be at a loss of words, but then he seemed to have processed what counted as my confession. "Wait, so are you saying you 'like' me back?" He copied the air quotes I had done earlier.

"I guess," I said. "I don't see this ending well. You do know you're better off-"

I was cut off when he suddenly leaned over and closed his lips over mine. I felt the world blacking out again, and I was only able to concentrate on how his lips felt, feathery soft against mine. And then there he went again with his tongue- I had no idea where he learned this. I have heard Dean joke about how pure and innocent he was, but judging from the way Castiel made me melt with his kisses, it really made me question Dean's judgement. And then we heard the knock.

"I don't hear talking anymore," I heard Dean shouting. "Can you open the freaking door already? We still need to talk about Dori, and I want to go eat."


	26. Chapter 25

We gathered around one of the tables on my side of the room. My side was more spacious, as I only had one bed, compared to the two singles in Sam and Dean's room. They dragged two chairs over from their side and we all sat down, readying ourselves for the explanation. I, for one, was very curious. Actually, I was not sure if I was excited or nervous. They do say that the two stem from the same emotion.

"I want to start off with apologizing to Dori for not telling you all this earlier. I did not want to worry or scare you. But judging from the events of last night, it seems that it would be safer if you knew what you were capable of," Castiel said. "To begin, Dori is not your full name, is it?"

"No," I said without missing a beat. "But who cares?"

"Well, tell them what it is," he said, meaning Sam and Dean.

"Pandora. Pandora McConnor."

"Wait, how did that become Dori?" Dean asked, holding out his hand in protest.

"I think back in high school, people would call me Dora. And I hated it because of, you know, Dora the Explorer? I could not stand her. And it eventually just became Dori," I answered.

"Well, Pandora is exactly who you think she is." Castiel said, as if that clears everything up.

"Wait, you mean Pandora, as in Pandora's box?" Sam suddenly said.

I was a bit confused. I have heard of Pandora's box before- something about a box that this chick called Pandora had. Some Greek or Roman myth I think?

"So, you're saying she was the one who unleashed all the evils, diseases and illnesses in the world?" Sam continued.

"Hold up. I'm have not been releasing any diseases," I quickly jutted in, hoping to make that perfectly clear. "What are you going on about?"

"Are you familiar with the legend of Pandora's box?" Castiel asked.

"No." The reply came from both Dean and I in unison. I definitely did not know enough to understand what was going on here.

"Dori here is not simply Pandora, but the box itself," Castiel began. "In myth, Pandora was created by different God and Goddesses. She was given a box that held all the evils, diseases and illnesses known to mankind with the instructions that she was not to open it. That box was hidden inside her, and she was not to prod at it. However, curiosity got to her and that is how we got where we are now. All the evil, horrible things you humans have was said to be unleashed that day."

"Wow." I did not know what else there was to say. "Okay, but if I was this stupid bitch, how do I not remember any of this? I would think if I released all this misery into the world, I would kind of remember it."

"You simply have been locked away- as a relic up in heaven. And you were not stupid. It was a test that was made for you to fail. There's still a bit more to your story. The last thing you found in yourself when you opened up all the evils was hope, of which a lot is still left inside you," Castiel said.

"Some consolidation prize that is," Dean said scoffing.

"Do not underestimate hope. That is why she is here today. It was a huge risk bringing her back, but she was brought back when the world needed her most. The safest way was to create a past for her, create a family for her, and allow her to live as one of your own. I was told that they did not think you would be discovered. That was twenty-three years ago," Castiel said.

"Wait, create a family?" I asked. "Do you mean to say that my mom and dad, are not actually my parents?" I was trying to keep calm.

"You were born into the world again as a child, and raised by the man and woman who you thought to be your parents. Your parents have no recollection of how you were brought to them by angels. The angels left quietly, allowing your parents and those around them to believe you were a McConnor. They did, however, leave you with the knife you carry around. It was entrusted in your dad's care, until he would one day give to you when you were capable of using it. It can inflict damage on most creatures, thus why the demon died when you fought it."

I was shocked silent. My whole life was a lie. "Wait, so all that crap you said about me dying earlier, doesn't this mean I'm...immortal?" I asked.

"No. Pandora was simply a woman created by the Gods, but you are, after all, human. However, you were blessed by these Gods during your creation, so you do have unique qualities that regular humans may not- maybe enhanced skills or something of the like. We do not fully know what these qualities are, since there is only one of you, and we have not had a chance to study you all that much. A great power has allowed you to come into the world again, after all those years of you having been locked up. But it is not something that can be done again."

"Really liking the perks to this whole deal." I could feel tears pricking at my eyes, so I quickened my blinking, hoping they would go away. I just suddenly felt very alone. I thought about my mom- could I even call her that?

"So wait, why does she need to be brought back? Why now?" Sam asked, his head resting on his propped up right arm.

"Look at the world around you. Hope has long faded from what it once was. People used to look to the future and dream of amazing things. Of technology, of improvements, of change. But now, they look forward and they are met with the fact that the world is deteriorating. The place they know and love is dying. People even question whether they want to produce offspring, concerned over whether there will be enough of the world left for them to thrive," Castiel answered.

"And demons, werewolves- the whole slew of them- are after her because?" Dean asked.

"To capture Dori would mean that they have control of whatever evils she has left." He now turned to me. "Although hope is what embodies you, what you saw last night, Dori, was how bits of the horrors in the box clung onto you after all these years. That is why you were able to project hatred and anger towards that demon, and how it crippled him momentarily. Of course, the negative aspects of what was orginally in the box is nowhere near as strong as the hope you protect inside you, but it is still there. And to have access to it, and to force you to use it on their behalf would benefit them greatly." Castiel said.

"Can I just have a second?" I asked, not really waiting for a reply. I grabbed a coat and threw it over my pajamas- which was not actually as indecent as it sounds since it was just a tshirt and a pair of sweat pants- and left. I just wanted to get out of the room for a while and wrap my head around all this.

I wonder if my mom still knew who I was. I have no had a reply from her for ages. What if she was dead? Although she was not exactly my real mother, she did raise me, and there is no doubt that I love her. My dad's case was a bit different. He had left my mom ages ago, so I was always kind of angry at him for ditching us. All this hurt. I have never felt so by myself in my life. I had no family. None of my friends actually knew the real me- not that I do either. This was all so stupid. I was supposed to go through my four years of university, get my journalism degree, with a psychology minor on the side, and go on with life. I never thought I would say this, but I was starting to miss sitting in huge lecture halls just learning about the frontal lobe and how it contains the primary motor cortex.

I was wandering around outside our hotel. It was a nice sunny day out, which did not match my mood. Do you not hate it when that happens? Then you are wondering why the world could not just agree with you and look miserable, instead of staying all sunny and perfect.

I eventually had to head back to the hotel and back into our room. The three of them were no longer in my side of the room, but back on the Winchester's. But once I walked in, I saw Castiel peeking his head into my room, as if to check that it was me.

"I wanted to go with you, but Dean told me you needed time alone." Castiel said.

"Yeah Cas, I did. Thanks for respecting that," I said, giving him a small smile. "And thanks Dean," I added.

"Don't thank me just yet. We have to get moving. We got a case." He said, from the bed where he was cleaning one of his guns. Sam was on a laptop again, furiously scrolling through a site.

"What is it this time?" I asked, sitting down on Sam's bed and patting the area next to me so Castiel would sit down too.

"How do you feel about camping?" asked Sam.


	27. Chapter 26

"We'll park here. And from here, we trek ," Dean said, pulling the Impala to a st op outside a wooden cabin that read "Inf ormation". It was where all the other ca mpers parked their various vehicles befo re they hiked off to camp around here. I could see a park ranger behind a desk i nside the cabin, and maps lined the wall s inside. However, Sam had a map printed out that we were to use, so we could sk ip the whole tourist-like aspects of hav ing to visit the information booth.

We had spent a whole day getting to this part of Idaho from where we were. Along the way, Sam switched to the driver's s eat, but that was after we stopped by a large store that sold outdoor gear. The brothers had a tent in the trunk, but we had to get me one. They did ask if I wa nted to stop somewhere nearby at a motel , but I figured I could learn a thing or two off them if I went along on their h unt. After all, it seemed like I now nee ded all the help I can get. So after get ting my tent and some other essentials, we were back on the road. And now here w e were.

We all went around to the trunk, getting the various supplies we will need. Dean handed me a shotgun, which I quickly st uffed into bag, looking around to see if anyone was watching. Locking up the car , we started our trudge into the forest. Castiel again offered to hold my bags, but I was only carrying my duffle, which I wore like a backpack behind me. I pro mised I would let him know when I got to o tired, putting him at ease, but of cou rse, I was not going to make him carry m y stuff.

It was still daytime, so this felt like a nice hike through nature. As we went d eeper into the woods, the trees started to grow denser, and the floor more moist . So what exactly were we doing here? Ca mpers have gone missing. It would not be so strange except for reports of a red headed girl spotted in these woods. Doin g some more research and calling in some other hunters, the Winchesters suspect that this was a huldra: a beautiful crea ture that causes unsuspecting victims to fall to their charms. What was strange was that huldre rarely make themselves k nown to the outside world because they r emain relatively harmless, despite being very strong and having supernatural qua lities.

We had reached a part of the forest wher e it started to slope downwards. We all watched our steps. The moist floor was n ot helping the decline of the forest flo or. I watched Sam almost slip several ti mes. Dean was well ahead all of us, the difficulty of the walk downhill not seem ing to bother him. Castiel was also gett ing frustrated as the landscape got even steeper, and I think at one point he tr ied to teleport the rest of the way. Tha t was when he spoke up.

"I don't think my powers are at full cap acity here."

"What do you mean? Can you still use the m?" Sam asked, stopping in his tracks. D ean called back from where he was asking what we were saying, so Sam shouted bac k Castiel's announcement.

"I'm not sure," he said, as he raised tw o fingers to his temple and closed his e yes to concentrate, "But I can barely he ar what the other angels are saying."

"Angel radio losing signal?" Dean shoute d back.

"Maybe," he replied, "I guess we'll see. " He looked at me, a worried look on his face.

I tried to brush it off, telling him it would be fine. I joked about how I was s ure Dean packed like ten guns into his b ag, so there was plenty to go around.

Luckily, the terrain started to level ou t again. We were retracing the steps of several of the campers that had gone mis sing over the last few months, which was really only three. But three was enough to raise a few flags within the hunter community, coupled with the tales of the red headed female spotted in the woods. 

We spent most of the day trying to see i f we could find traces of the missing me n, and stopped only for a quick lunch. I t eventually got dark and after us stumb ling around in the dark for another good three hours after the sun went down, we decided we would pitch our tents.

Castiel helped me with mine, but he had no idea what he was doing. The poles tha t I showed him how to snap together kept falling apart, and he was getting frust rated. I told him he had to be gentle. I remember camping back in the last few y ears of high school with my friends. We started off with backyard camping, and t hen when we started getting our driver's licenses, we started to do real camping trips to various campsites around our v icinity. I really missed those carefree days.

It was strange to assemble a tent again, but I did not have too hard a time gett ing the whole thing set up. Castiel, sin ce he was so tall, was useful in holding up the tent while I strung the collapsa ble sticks through the tent to give it s tructure. Finally, I hammered the tent s takes into the ground by stomping them i nto the dry ground. I managed to finish building my tent at around the same time the Winchesters finished theirs. I then started to unload some of the food in S am's bag and the rest of them started to get a fire going.

Castiel tried to use his powers to start the fire, but to no avail. So Dean and Sam had to build a tepee of twigs and st art it the hard way. We had trail mix, b agels, assorted fruits, and more non-per ishable snacks. I started to munch on so me trail mix and half a bagel while we w aited for the fire build up, taking a se at near the fire. Castiel sat next to me after a while, realizing that pacing ar ound really did not accomplish much.

"What does a huldra look like?" I asked between bites of my bagel.

"They just look uncommonly beautiful. Bu t from the back, they look like the trun k of a tree. Their back is made from bar k," Sam replied, as he warmed his hand a gainst the fire. It was getting chilly n ow that night had settled in.

"They also have tails," Dean added.

"What exactly do they want?" I asked.

"Usually, nothing more than to trick a m an to be with her. At least according to lore. But if you anger them, then they will seek revenge. It seems like that's what happened with this one," Sam said.

"Okay, so if we find her, how do we kill her?" In my opinion, this was the most important question.

"Sammy says no one has done it before," Dean replied. "We'd best figure it out w hen the time comes."

That did not sound very assuring. But th ey were professionals, so I trusted them .

A howl rang out, which forced me to look beyond our fire-illuminated grounds. Th at was when I realized how dark it had g otten. The quarter moon that was lightin g our way earlier was hidden behind clou ds. It was also very quiet, save for the crackling fire. Instinctively, I found myself edging towards Castiel.

We all sat in silence for a while, just staring at the flames as it danced aroun d the wood. It was hypnotizing. Dean spo ke first, breaking us from our trance.

"We should sleep in rotation," he said t o Sam. "Cas and I will take the first sh ift, and we'll switch. Then you and Cas will take the second one. Dori can take a shift too, whenever she wakes up. When the sun's up, we'll keep looking. We're probably just not reading these stupid maps right. I told you we should've turn ed right around that tree, instead of le ft."

"Dean," Sam started, "Which tree? Did yo u mean the green one? Or the other green one? We were both lost. Suck it up and admit it."

"Bitch."

"Jerk." Retorted Sam.

I gave a small smile. Their brotherly qu arrels were cute.


	28. Chapter 27

I crawled into my rectangular sleeping bag, and instantly wish I had gone with the mummy ones instead. I missed being next to the fire and the tent was chilly. But I figured I would give it awhile for the warmth to settle in.

I closed my eyes and waited for sleep. Dean and Castiel started to talk in low voices, which was soothing and easy to fall asleep to, but then I heard a rustle in the forest on the other side of the tent. It was probably nothing. We were in the middle of mother nature, so there was bound to be animals nearby. I swear I heard an owl hoot. I have never actually heard an owl before. It sounded eerie in the night, each hoot echoing into the next. The guys' conversation seemed to have ended, making it that much harder to sleep.

"Do you guys mind talking again? Just so it's not dead silent?" I asked from my tent.

"That rustling you heard earlier was just a squirrel," Castiel replied from outside. Guess he figured out I was paranoid.

I heard them talking again, but then it was followed by sounds from the other tent. I could hear the tent zipper being unzipped and then more talking. My eyes were closed, so when I heard my tent zipper being pulled opened, I opened my eyes. I screamed when I saw a shadow and grabbed my knife that I had kept sheathed under my sleeping bag, brandishing it at whatever it was that was coming. Turns out it was just Castiel.

He looked at me curiously, and I quickly put the knife back down, heart beating like crazy. My paranoia was really getting to me.

"Sam and Dean will take the first shift. I'll take the second one so they can get some rest. I don't actually need to sleep, but it might be better if I was here while you slept?" He asked, still outside the tent peering in.

"Yes please," I said, putting my pride away. I was tired, and if we were going to be doing a lot of walking again, I needed rest. So I could either pretend I was not scared and stay awake all night, or just admit I was and maybe get some shut eye.

He crawled into the tent, but then stopped, not sure where he should go. He finally decided on a corner to my right, so I slept on my side facing him. I could not see him in the darkness, and I wondered if he could see me. But all the same, it felt better with someone there, especially if it was someone you trusted.

"How's your angel radio?" I asked.

"Still fuzzy. It actually has gotten worse," he said.

"What do you think it is?"

"I do not know. But there is something unpleasant about this forest." I could hear him shift. "But don't worry about that for now. Try to get some sleep."

"Ugh, thinking about tomorrow is already making me tired," I said with a yawn. "And knowing that we'll be fighting a thing none of us know how to kill sounds just wonderful."

"We will cross that bridge when we get there. I have faith in Sam and Dean. They always manage to decipher the problem and finish their task," Castiel said, hoping to ease my fears. "One time, my brother Gabriel trapped the two of them in a series of TV shows. They figured it out pretty quickly, and tried to understand how to get out of their situation. When I found out what Gabriel was doing, I tried to help them, but he saw through me and banished me from the alternate reality that Sam and Dean were in..."

Castiel trailed on, but as much as I would like to hear the end of that story, I found myself drifting asleep.


	29. Chapter 28

This was getting ridiculous. We have now spent a total of three days in this forest, and it was getting evident that we were lost. Our food supplies were running very low, and the only progress we had was that we found a scrap of clothing caught on a branch, followed by a tree dyed deep red by some poor fellow's blood. No trace of any other victims or the huldra could be found. This creature was a clever one. I should also mention how good it feels to not shower for three days. The sun would beat down on us every day, so I was pretty sure I was not only dirty from the physical aspects of trudging through the forest, but also covered by a fine layer of dried sweat.

However, we continued with our quest, packing up our tent and bags and continuing the search. We were all trying to not only find the huldra, but look for a way out of this wretched place. I had gotten used to the sounds at night, and I think all our senses were starting to dull. This made the job harder.

We were midway through the day when we found a guy, unmoving and caught in vines. Dean went over and gave him a nudge with his foot, and jumped back in shock when the guy gave a whimper.

"Dude, buddy, you still alive?" Dean asked when he recovered from his surprise.

"Barely," the figure managed, eyes closed in pain. "Water..."

I hurried to give him my water bottle, and he finished it in three big gulps. I retrieved the bottle from him when he was done. I would have to fill it up whenever we reach a water source.

The water seemed to give him a bit of his strength back, and he opened his eyes looking at his rescuers. His hazel eyes glittered in the sunlight.

"How did you end up here?" Dean asked.

"Some girl got to me," he said. "Before I knew it, she was threatening to kill me. She left me in the vines- she did this weird thing where she got the vines to wrap itself around me. The whole thing was weird. I may have been imagining it, because I was pretty out of it."

Sam went over to him and started pulling at the vines. The guy yelped in pain, and Sam instantly stopped. The vines were covered in thorns. The two Winchesters stood around the helpless man, seeming to ponder on what was the best way to get him out of his little problem.

Castiel pulled me aside. "Dori, use your powers. This is the perfect chance for you to practice. Try focusing your energies on him and give him some hope. I do not think he will last much longer. It seems he has already given up. If a man wants to die, it's much harder to save him."

I looked at the guy, and it was true. His head hung low with a resigned look stamped on it. Even as Dean and Sam started hacking away at the vines, he only winced now and then, not being of any help.

I did as I had done that last time I was with the little ghost boy. I wanted this poor guy to understand that we can help him. We will get him out of here. I looked at him, then closed my eyes, trying to focus positive thoughts towards him. And then I felt it.

It felt a tingle running through my body, and then consequently flowing out of me. I directed the flow towards the man, hoping that I was doing this correctly. It took all my concentration to control it, as I could feel the energy threatening to disperse into the air around me instead of towards a target.

I could feel someone nearing me, and then I felt Castiel whispering in my ear. "You're doing it. Look."

My eyes fluttered open- not in an attractive way I am guessing, because I was actually forcing them open since they felt so heavy. But I did see that the trapped man was now making things easier for Sam and Dean. He would attempt to move in a way that would aid the brothers in their attempt to free him. His backpack was also getting caught a lot, which he now tried to actively shift in ways that would get the bag move as well. Castiel seemed to sense how much effort it took for me to do this- probably because I was starting to sweat more than before. He stepped closer to me, and wrapped his arms around me from behind, holding me steady, making sure I would have something to fall back on. It helped because I could now just lean back into him while focusing on the guy.

It felt like it could not come soon enough, but eventually Sam and Dean got the guy free. They helped him to his feet. Other than scratches (though some of them were quite deep), he seemed relatively unharmed. He introduced himself as Justin, and told us of how he saw a stunning redheaded girl. She told him how she was lost and of course, he offered to lend her a hand. Little did he know that she wanted to take a lot more than just his hand. He also told us how he could have sworn she could control the vines from earlier. According to Sam, this was not unnatural, as huldre have a strong connection with nature and can influence the environment around them. This made me realize that that was probably why we were lost in the forest. She probably already knew that we were here.


	30. Chapter 29

The huldra was the one who caused us to lose our bearings. It all made sense now because there was no way Sam and Dean was that unskilled with a map.

We eventually got to a river, and I filled up my water bottle. Sam and Dean did the same with their bottles. Meanwhile, Justin limped to the edge of the water and started to clean himself up. I also washed my face and any part of me I could sprinkle with water. It helped cool me down.

"I say that Dean and I go back to the vines and wait for the huldra to come back," Sam said, after he was satisfied with the amount of water he had chugged. No one bothered to explain to Justin what was happening, but he seemed content with the fact he was alive, and did not question our strange ways.

"Sounds good," Dean said. "Let's get her, then get the hell out of here. This place don't smell right, I'm telling you."

"You three should set up the tents or something. Get Justin something to eat and wait for us," Sam instructed. I was more than happy to stay behind.

When the Winchesters left, Castiel and I started setting up a tent. Justin offered his help, but I told him to just relax and have some granola bars. Sure, we were running low on supplies, but he was stuck out here starving for quite a while. I wonder how long he had been trapped.

"I'll get the first aid kit right after we finish up over here," I said. I wanted to get the tent up first so we could throw all our things inside and not have them scattered around. It would help us reorganize since it was now the fourth day into our 'camping trip' and everything had gotten quite messy.

Castiel and I were getting quite good at getting the tent up now. When we finished up, he helped me gather our various bags and jackets into the tent. Sam and Dean had taken a bag between the two of them earlier, probably filling it with guns and a bit of rations. The things they left behind, we also threw inside the tent.

I dug through my bag for the first aid kit, and went over to Justin. Most of the scrapes on him were not too deep, but there were a few nasty ones here and there. I also gave him one of Dean's shirts, since they had the same build. His old one was filled with tears from the thorns. His jeans seemed to have survived the ordeal.

I had no idea what I was doing, but I assume that you just dab at the wounds with alcohol. I asked him where the big cuts were and he would show me. He had one right below his neck that was quite long and deep. I thought that it may need stitches, and I saw him grit his teeth in pain when I tried to clean it with the alcohol.

"That one was fresh. I got it when the two brothers were wrestling me out of the thorns just now," Justin said. I tried to channel a bit of hope towards him, so that it could lessen the pain. I have no idea if this was how my powers worked, but I gave it a shot. I looked into his light brown eyes as I ran the cotton ball of alcohol across the wound. His eyes closed and his neck muscles tensed up as I did my work, but he would always open them up again to look at me. I was feeling a bit flushed from the way he watched me. I was beginning to realize he was an attractive young man, especially after he washed the grime from his face. His hair was a bit darker than his eyes, and they complemented each other very well.

Castiel was observing how I was attempting to patch Justin up again, leaning against a tree. I told myself to stop straying in my thoughts, but it must have been due to the heat that I found this hard to do. I took a quick peek at Castiel- to remind myself he was still there. And that I was in love with _him._ I stopped trying to feed hope to Justin because I was having trouble concentrating, due to all that I was thinking about. I dealt with two other big cuts, which were more easy to clean since they were on his arms, and packed the kit back up. Luckily, Justin's backpack protected a good bit of him, so we just left the smaller cuts and scratches as they were.

After I was done, Justin went to change into Dean's tee and Castiel and I started to clean up. I threw the blood and alcohol soaked cotton balls into a plastic bag so that we could properly dispose of it. I do not think you were supposed to leave blood out in the open in a forest full of animals. I also went into the tent to try to put some order to the bags and jackets that everyone had left behind. I emerged from the tent again after a while of arranging things in the tent.

Justin was sitting on a log nearby, digging through his red backpack searching for something. He noticed me watching, and told me he wanted to check his phone. He continued to search through the pockets of the bag until he finally found it.

"You get reception here?" I asked. I know for one that I did not have any bars on my phone.

"No," Justin and Castiel said together.

"I meant Justin," I said. But it was not comforting to know that Castiel's powers were still cut off.

"I just wanted to try," Justin said, his temples creasing in frustration. But he eventually gave up, and started to ask us on what we were doing. It was evident that we knew something he did not. I tried to explain who the Winchesters were, as well as what we were hunting. I took care to leave out the part about Castiel being an angel, as well as me being the crazy lady who released horrors from a magical box. He looked skeptical the whole time, and I do not blame him. But he took my explanation- what choice did he have really?

I had to use the washroom, so I excused myself from the boys and walked away so that I could take a leak. I was careful to leave the knife on the side my boot- I now had it sheathed in a leather guard thing that Dean had given me. It was wonderful in the sense that I could easily access it, but it took some getting used to. It was uncomfortable at first, but now I can barely feel it anymore.

I did not want to walk too far, in case I ran into anything, so I made sure I could still see them. All I would have to do is go behind a tree, do my thing, then head back.

I chose a tree that had a rather thick trunk, and taking one last look to ensure I could still see our campsite, I ducked behind it. That was when I tripped over the body.


	31. Chapter 30

It took me a second to realize what it was. I had to cover my hands over my mouth to keep from screaming. It was a young female and it looked like someone or something had been taking bites out of her, along with deep scratches that looked a bit older. She had red hair. This did not make sense.

I could also feel the gears clicking into place. This girl before me was supposed to be the huldra we were hunting. But if she was dead, our problems should be over. Justin would not have been trapped. We would be able to get out of the forest. But no, Castiel still did not have access to his powers.

We had the wrong person.

Then I saw that she had one of those-what do you call them? My mom had one and I thought they were not fashionable at all, but with camping, I could see how this bag could come in useful. Right. A fanny pack. Curiously, it was the same shade of red as Justin's backpack- no, make that the same brand too.

Oh shit.

I went to another tree and did my business, casually walking back to our camp. The two of them were now conversing. It sounded like Justin was describing a camping trip and what he found in the forest.

"Hey guys," I said, interrupting them, "Probably about time we called Sam and Dean back eh?"

"They have only been gone for an hour or so," Castiel informed me. He was sitting across from Justin on another log, hunched over, hands slightly clasped together, with his forearm resting on his thighs. I guess they moved some logs over to the campsite so we would have places to sit.

"Yeah, but they did not pack food," I lied. I did see Sam grabbing granola bars and stuffing them into his bag before we separated, but I was pretty sure no one else was paying attention.

"I am too tired to walk," Justin declared. "Give me a bit more time to rest up and we'll get going?" I looked at him, trying not to betray the panic that I was feeling. I guess I now know why I felt strangely attracted to Justin earlier. He was a huldra-or whatever they call the male versions of those things. He also did not let me check his back for scratches, which I complied with thinking he wanted to save me the trouble. But of course, if we saw his back, we probably would have found a hollow back made of bark, as well as a tail.

"Sure," I said. I stepped over the log Castiel was sitting on and took a seat. I wonder if I could somehow warn Castiel. He was powerless now, and I was not sure how well he handled combat that did not require his "angel mojo", as Dean liked to call it.

Maybe I could try emanating fear towards Castiel. It did not seem to be working, but it could be because I trying to not let Justin see through what I was trying to do. It was very hard to concentrate. Maybe I could try another emotion. Maybe panic? Is that something I could channel?

Justin was still talking about a camping trip he had a few years ago. I was sure he was making all this up- well at least the part about taking trips to the forest. Of course, all the stuff he talked about that related to the forest and how it worked, I was sure he knew plenty about. Castiel nodded along, seeming to find his stories interesting. But then he stopped nodding, and looked at me.

Did panic work? Maybe because I was feeling panicky, and it was easier for make him feel it too. He raised an eyebrow, understanding there was something I wanted to convey, but without words. I tilted my head slightly towards Justin, hoping that was enough for him to understand.

Castiel turned back to Justin, resuming his interest, though I know he was only pretending to listen now. Justin pointed at a plant, and started to talk about how you knew which kind of plant it was if you looked at the leaves. Apparently, if the leaves looked a certain way, you would known whether it was perennial or annual.

If I could affect Justin as I did with the demon that other day, I wonder if I could get Castiel his powers back. I suspected Castiel's loss of connection with heaven had something to do with this creature.

I thought back to the girl, lying back in the forest with chunks of her torn off. How she must have felt when Justin got to her, and destroyed her. If he did not kill her first, she would have slowly died as she bled out. I suddenly felt the fear she must have felt. And so I began to channel that towards the male huldra.

I knew it started to work when he cut off mid sentence, mildly disturbed. I tried as hard as I could to get him to feel fear. I was hoping he would drop down as fear consumed him, but it was evident that my control on negative emotions was nowhere near as strong as my ability to manipulate hope. I tried to turn it up to full power, and that caused Justin to actually look around him in surprise.

Out of nowhere, a bolt of what seemed like lightning struck the spot right beside Justin. I screamed out of surprise. Castiel put a hand on my back to calm me, and I realized he had just tried to smite Justin, meaning he got his powers back. The huldra's hand had caught on fire. He screeched in pain, and quickly tried to put out the fire by smothering it with his old raggedy T-shirt. Justin's eyes then widened in shock as he realized what had just happened and he made a run for it. He seemed to disappear into the forest right before our eyes.

I expected Castiel to stop him, but he had this constipated look on his face. I was wondering what he was doing, but then he explained to me what was happening.

"My powers are gone again," he said. "I had a moment of clarity, and I could feel heaven again. I tried out my powers, but I missed my strike. But you are right, Justin is who we were looking for."

I could hear rustling behind us, and I reached for my dagger in my boot. It was only the Winchesters.

"We heard your scream," Dean said as the two of them hurried towards us. "What's going on? Where's Justin?"

I quickly explained how I found the red haired girl back in the woods. She must have been on her own camping trip, and of course, her red hair was one of the first things people noticed. So they started to talk, and rumours started to build up as people started to go missing. Who knew that she was actually one of the victims? I also told them how I tried to cripple Justin with fear, but that it was not very successful. It only managed to buy Castiel a quick link with heaven, and that was only because Justin got distracted by my powers- not because they were particularly effective.

"At least we know that fire harms him," Castiel added.

"Good. Let's get this son of a gun," Dean said.


	32. Chapter 31

Although the huldra-wait, no, Sam explained that the male version of a huldra was called a huldu-seemed to have only just left our group, we had long lost him.

We quickly dismantled the tent, and since I had already organized everything earlier, we simply grabbed our bags and went on the search. What made things easier was that Castiel had burned him, and we could spot traces of fresh blood every now and then. You could also smell the faint smell of burnt wood. I do not exactly know the biological composition of huldre, but I guess they were made of both flesh and wood? The patches of blood also got bigger as we went, meaning the huldu was definitely hurt and was getting worse as time went by. He was also slowing down.

"Guys, over here," I whispered when we got to a ledge leading down towards a running stream.

The three of them approached where I was and we looked down to the water below. Justin was hunched over the stream, washing his burnt hand. It looked pretty disgusting. The outside of his flesh had melted away, and we could see charred wood revealing itself under the meat.

"That's some smite you got there," I said to Castiel, still whispering. We were not exactly the quietest of hunters, and the huldu heard our arrival as our steps snapped twigs in our path as we made our way to the ledge.

"Kill me then," the figure below us shouted.

"Why did you kill all those people?" Sam shouted back at him. His hand was resting over his gun.

"Dammit, we need fire," Dean said quietly.

"If Dori can do what she did earlier and distract him long enough for me to smite him, that will work too," Castiel said, looking at me hopefully.

"I can try, but I was never strong enough to being with," I said disappointedly. "I just don't have the same control over hate and fear as I do over hope and stuff."

Sam was still talking to the huldu, distracting him.

"I have a torch back at the car in the trunk, but I can't exactly get to it now," Dean whispered.

I hushed them up and tried to see if I could push some negative feelings towards the huldu crouched over the river. I think I was doing something because he looked up at me, his sparkling eyes narrowing at me.

"You stop that," he said from below. "You stop that before I bring you down with me."

Castiel protectively stood in front of me, shielding me from the creature's line of sight.

"I'll kill you like I did with the other campers. They all rejected me when I expressed how much I wanted them. I was angry. We do silly things when we're angry, ain't that right?" He asked, seeming to be looking at Sam.

Somehow that seemed to get Sam annoyed. Suddenly, I felt a breeze beside me, and I saw that Dean had ran by me and jumped to the ravine below. Sam swore at Dean's reckless move, but jumped down after him. Castiel stood with me, watching the brothers.

"They're trying to cripple him so Dean can light him up," Castiel explained. I did not know how he knew what their plans were, but I guess Castiel had known them long enough to be able to guess where they were up to.

Dean ran towards the huldu, who although hurt, seemed to meld away in front of our eyes, and appear a bit away from where he originally was. Sam made a dash from him at his new location, but to no avail. The two brothers pounced around, trying to get to him, but it was obvious it was a useless endeavour.

"Cas, I'm going to try again. You better land that smite if I manage to do this," I told him. He gave me a nod, and once again shielded me from the huldu's view.

The hatred I was trying to channel was very weak. Justin looked lost and defenceless. His only means to survive was to dodge all of Sam and Dean's attack. That did not seem like a fair fight. But I tried to remember all the victims it had taken, and do what I could with that image. The girl with the fiery red hair, lying dead in the woods- her family was probably worried about her. I wonder how long she had been out here. She must not have died too recently, since she was not in a horrible stage of decay. Somehow she was blamed for all the deaths in the forest. Of course, she probably did not know people mistook her for a murderer, but she still spent days lost in these woods.

The huldu was trying to zap away again, but Sam and Dean was catching up to him. He looked very confused, probably because he was trying to use his powers while both the Winchesters and I were distracting him. It slowed him down dramatically and Sam managed to get a hold of him. Dean tried to get his lighter to work as Sam held the guy down. They then both seemed to realize that they could not afford to slowly catch this guy on fire. Yeah, it was never a good plan to begin with.

Suddenly, Castiel's voice boomed out. "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY."

I looked at Castiel and saw that his eyes were glowing a blueish-white light. I may be imagining it, but I saw his wings. It was only for a few seconds, but I saw two gigantic shadowy wings unfurling. It switched from being the black silhouette of wings, to white materialized ones-much like the traditional angel wings one would imagine. But it was nothing like generic angel wings you would usually imagine if you looked at Castiel's again. His wings had flaws, and bits of it were ruined. But all the same, it was a sight to see. I looked down at Sam and Dean to notice that they were not staring, but dutifully jumping away from Justin. Maybe they were used to Castiel's plumage. Or maybe they missed it, because when I wanted to look again, they had disappeared.

A huge strike of light hit Justin, and you could see his life-force being smited from him. He writhed in pain, but it was all over within seconds. We did it.


	33. Chapter 32

With the huldu dead, getting out of the forest was easy peasy. We were now at another motel. I threw my bag down on the nearby chair, Castiel trailing behind me. They did not have rooms that linked up at this motel, but Sam and Dean's room was only a door away.

I had slept on the drive to the motel, and was now ready to wash the sheen of dirt and sweat that had collected from the days we had been camping. When I was done, we waited on the Winchesters to come get us for dinner. I was not starved, but it would be great to have some warm food again.

"So what was that back at the forest?" I asked Castiel. "When do your wings appear?"

"Wait," he said, cocking his head to one side in confusion, "you saw my wings?"

"Yeah?" I said. "Didn't everyone else?"

"I am doubtful that they did. This may be a part of you not being a fully normal human. What did you see?" He asked, now seeming interested.

"Well, I first saw these dark shadowy projections of wings..." I explained, but he cut me off.

"Oh, so I guess you saw what demons and other creatures would see," he said.

"...and then they kind of turned into actual feathers. They started materializing into white feathery wings," I finished. I did not comment on how damaged they looked.

"That's strange." He said. "No one has been able to see my actual wings before. Of course, these are not my wings in full size, since it has been scaled down to fit my vessel, but it is still very curious that you could see them in a material form."

The knock for dinner came shortly after his comment, and we all left for some actual food.

* * *

We talked Dean out of going to another burger joint. I really wanted some cooked food, and Sam wanted to go somewhere where grease did not fill up buckets.

We settled on an Italian place that served pasta, sandwiches and soups. I scanned the menu and ordered the fettuccine chicken Alfredo. Sam got another pasta of some kind, and Dean got a Philly cheese steak sandwich with a large helping of fries. Lucky for him the Italian place satisfied his taste buds too.

Once the steaming plates of food arrived, I chowed it down in a matter of minutes. It almost felt like Sam and I were having a contest to see who could eat the fastest. That, and the fact that it was so delicious left me with an empty plate shortly after our waiter put it down. I ended up ordering a side of garlic bread, while Sam got another spaghetti bolognese. The warm bread with light melted garlic butter was heavenly, and I fed Castiel a bite. He agreed that it was amazing. Dean seemed like he was getting grossed out of his greasy fries- after all, we had been having a pretty clean diet of nuts and crackers the past few days. Having a hit of oily foods probably was not the best for your stomach.

It was still light out, but the sun was starting to set when we left the Italian Bistro.

Dean wanted to go back and sleep, since he now had an upset stomach. Sam said he would drive. I did not want to go back to the motel just yet. Despite having been in a warped forest for the past few days, I still wanted to enjoy the sun for a while. We were in a small town, and it seemed like a nice quiet place to watch the sun set. Maybe it was the fact that we were no longer in a maze of a jungle that made me want to stay out. The threat of being hunted down was no longer something we had to worry about- oh wait, scratch that. I was still being hunted. But hey, we all deserved some rest, and some time to relax until the next thing that wants to kill us finds us.

"Wanna come?" I asked Castiel, after I explained I wanted to go to the park nearby to watch the setting sun. Sam told him it was a good idea since that would be safer for me anyway.

Castiel and I watched as the Impala drove away until we could no longer hear her engines' soft rumbling. I then started to walk to the park, Castiel following closely behind. I reached back to hold his hands, which was warm despite it starting to get a bit chiller as the sun started its descent into the horizon. He paused for a second, seeming to not understand why I was gripping his hand, so I explained to him.

"I don't exactly know why people do this, but I guess it's so you're closer to the person you like?" I said, trying to come up with a good explanation. "Like, if we're holding hands, you're always going to be within close proximity-I mean, well, you really don't have a choice."

I was doing a horrible job at explaining, but Castiel seemed to like the idea of interlacing his fingers with mine, since he smiled as I talked. And he gripped my hand tighter after I was done explaining.

When we finally got to the park, I chose to sit under a tree instead of one of the hard wooden benches. I plopped down, and Castiel took a spot next to me. I laced my fingers through his once more, again appreciating the warmth that it held. We watched the sun in silence for a while before I spoke up.

"I don't man to pry, but what happened to your wings?" I asked. I was concerned. You always imagine angels with majestic wings that were perfect in every respect. When I saw Castiel's, it was obvious they had seen better days. Although no less amazing, since there was a glow to them and they seemed to match Castiel perfectly, parts of his wings had missing feathers creating gaps in his plumage. Some parts of his wings were scarred to the extent that feathers were unable to grow back, and left only a pale white membrane. I may have only seen them for several seconds, but the image was enough to last me a lifetime- it was both beautiful and terrifying.

But once I asked the question, I saw that Castiel had started to spread his wings. I shifted away from him, letting go of his hand so he would have space to fully stretch out his wings. Like before, I first saw the black projection of his wings, and then slowly, it shifted between the solid white wings, and the shadowy ones. It was like I could not focus on it properly causing each blink to result in me seeing something different. It was a bit disorientating. I tried really hard to make myself concentrate so I could see his real wings, but it was useless.

"It is unheard of for a human to have seen an angel's wings, so you don't have to strain yourself," he said, seeing me crinkle my forehead in concentration. "It is already quite miraculous that you can see them. And even more so that you can see my real wings. Even demons and other creatures only manage to see my projections."

"They're beautiful," I whispered to him, entranced by the alternating black and white wings.

"Thank you. But you are right, they are scarred and have been through much," he told me. His voice was laced with sadness, but so much wisdom. "I can mend my vessel, but wings are different. I cannot completely heal them."

"Oh Castiel," I said, reaching out my hand to touch the side of his face, wanting to erase the sadness from his eyes. He looked up at me as we touched, eyes still sorrowful. The blue in them seemed cloudy, as if Castiel was lost in thought. He was remembering all the things he had been through, all the tragedies he had to watch, all the wars he had taken part in. I felt myself tear up, but I dropped my hand from his face and tried to look away so I could blink the tears away. But he grabbed on to my wrist, and pulled me towards him. I fell into his chest, and figured it was not that bad there, so I moved to a more comfortable position, resting my head between the crook of his neck.

"But things have been looking up," he said. I cannot believe he was trying to comfort me. Me! When he was the one who had to live through so much sadness and pain.

"How so?" I asked, back to watching the sun. It had now almost completely set, and the sky was lit orangey-red near the horizon, then faded into light blue skies as you looked away.

"I now have you."


	34. Chapter 33

The next morning, we set off for breakfast. We were all very grateful for a cooked breakfast. You can only eat so many days of trail mix in the mornings before you wanted to kill yourself. We did end up going to a diner, and I had a nice greasy breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, sausage and tater tots. Dean stayed away from everything oily, and we were all surprised when he ordered a salad. He was not happy with the salad though. He kept making faces and commented at how bad it tasted.

I scanned the diner for a washroom, and stopped short when I saw someone I recognized. Good ol' what's-his-name? Gregory. Same greasy hair- that made my stomach feel funny, seeing as how I did just have an oily breakfast- and the same maroon button up shirt. He was looking out the glass front of the diner.

"Look," I nudged Castiel. He looked in the direction I motioned towards, which caused Sam and Dean to turn around and sneak a glance too.

"Who's that?" Dean asked when he turned back to face us.

"He was that demon who provoked Dori outside the casino," Castiel said.

"Then smite that sucker already," Dean said.

"No, wait," I said. "He must be here for a reason. Let's not shoot the messenger just yet."

Gregory now turned towards us, seeming to not have found anything of interest outside. We locked eyes, and he slowly started to grin at me. He got up, and began to walk over to our table.

"I see we meet again," he says, still grinning.

"I doubt this is by chance," I said, rolling my eyes.

"You're right, this isn't a coincidence," he told me. "My lord would like to speak to you. Privately."

"Right, okay, let's go," I said sarcastically.

"You can't just leave with him," Castiel said in shock.

"Sarcasm went right over your head," Dean said helpfully, causing Castiel to look confused, then realization struck him and he went back to his expressionless self.

"She ain't going with you," Sam said. "But we, on the other hand, would love to meet your 'lord'."

He sneered at that. "I'm sure my boss would love to meet the Winchesters, but sadly, he's too busy for the likes of you these days. So Pandora, you are not coming willingly?"

"To hell I will," I said.

"You'll be there soon enough," he said ominously, taking his leave and disappearing through the door.

We got the bill and drove back to the motel room. The brothers decided that it was time for a change of scenery seeing as how our whereabouts were clearly known to Gregory and whoever his lord was- that and Sam believes he might have found a case. A city had an abnormally high amount of family members reported as missing, but others in the community claims that they sometimes see these missing folks around. It was just that none of them seemed to want to go home, and every time someone tried to approach them to see if it really was a missing friend, they would hurry away and disappear into the crowds.

Once again, I threw my duffle bag into the trunk, keeping only my smaller portable bag with me, containing my knife, my phone (which I barely had any use for any more), and my wallet. Castiel joined me in the back seat and the brothers took the front. With that, we were off on the road again. It was good that I did not get carsick easily.


	35. Chapter 34

We had to do a stop overnight for the drivers to catch up on some sleep. I offered to drive the next day, but Dean was having none of it. Honestly, I think the pressure of not leaving a scratch on the Impala would probably leave me driving at an excruciatingly slow speed, but I wanted to offer my help anyway.

Castiel left us that night, and returned to join us the next day. He was checking in with heaven again, making sure that Gregory's message was known to the rest of heaven. It gave me comfort to know that I had some power backing me. But Dean told me that angels are not as reliable as they seem. After all, they aimed to keep heaven safe- not simply to protect and help mankind.

I downloaded a road trip bingo app on my phone and was playing with Castiel, and Sam eventually joined in. We were all trying to find a school bus so that we could finish the bingo card, but it was not until we reached Kansas that we finally found it.

We pulled up at a random motel at the edge of Downtown Kansas City called the Tobit Inn. I was not sure if I preferred being squished in the backseat of the Impala or the smell of motels more, but either way, it was good to stretch my legs. We also got separate rooms again, but we were next to each other. I was starting to realize that the Winchesters were starting to believe I was able to hold my own ground. This was exciting and encouraging to say the least!

The two brothers announced that they were going to take a trip to Lawrence shortly after we checked in, which apparently was close by. I have never been in Kansas, but I was wondering what was in Lawrence that would make the Winchesters take a special trip to it, despite the fact there was a case here. They said their goodbyes and said they would be back later tonight, I waved at the Impala driving away, and Castiel gave a nod.

"Okay, spill," I said, turning to Castiel. "What are they doing?"

"Lawrence, Kansas was where it all began," he told me.

I encouraged him to go on. I guess I never really asked where Sam and Dean was from, or their family. I had assumed they had a family of hunters somewhere, and they were just tackling cases on the road. But to hear why they got started in monster hunting was depressing. The whole Winchester story was depressing. It was hard to believe they were human, after hearing about the things they have done. I already knew that they had stopped the apocalypse, but to tackle the billionaire Dick Roman? Who turned out to be a leviathan? Go to hell? Get caught between the wars of heaven and hell? Well, now they were back between the two once again, all because of me. And they did this all willingly. No, they definitely did not seem human. More like superheroes.

There was nothing left for us to do with the brothers gone. I wanted to walk around the city, and an idea popped into my head.

"Cas, you ever been to the movies?" I asked.

"I know what movies are, but no, I have never been to one," he said thoughtfully.

"Let's go! I want to watch the new Marvel movie," I admitted.

Castiel saw that I really wanted to go, and I have been stuck in a car for two days, so it was only understandable that I wanted to loosen up. I Googled the closest movie theatre, and checked the showtimes. As we made our way to the movies, I outlined the plot to Castiel hoping it would help with his understanding later on, but he seemed confused as to why characters had such peculiar superpowers. To him, it all seemed very useless. But then I explained that the powers are usually used in conjunction with some circumstance that makes it useful.

Along our way to the movies, I noticed that there really was a lot of missing persons posters around the city. Several newspapers also seemed to touch on the topic. I looked at the faces that stared back at us, and I hoped that they were okay. Actually, they were okay, were they not? After all, people had seen them around. Whenever Sam and Dean got back, they would sort this out. Hopefully.


	36. Chapter 35

When we got to the theatre, I lined up for tickets. Castiel seemed to have noticed something, and excused himself and told me he will be right back. I got our tickets and I waited near the ticket booth. I fiddled around with my phone, trying to decide on what I wanted to eat. I have had a churro in forever. And I liked munching on popcorn while watching, so I will probably get a bag of those. How long has it been since I have been to the movies? It felt way too long. My friends and I used to go every Tuesday, because it was half off on that day.

"Hey, you here alone? If yeah, I don't mind me some sweet company" A voice said. It belonged to a guy who must have been in his late teens, but was taller than me. He was also pretty buff too and coupled with his shaven head, he was intimidating. He seemed to be very confident, and to be honest, sounded like a douchebag.

"Actually, I'm here with someone else. And wow, smooth. You're pretty forward aren't you?" I asked.

"I dunno, maybe you and I can ditch the movies and go somewhere?" He asked. It was sad how desperate he was.

"This lad bothering you?" A voice said in a familiar British accent. It was Will! Will was smiling as he walked towards us, and he when he reached where we were, his height caused him to loom over the guy, who faltered, but quickly composed himself so he looked tough again.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Baldy asked, sizing Will up. Will chuckled at that, but before he could speak, Castiel came back, and unknowingly joined our little party.

"Turns out it was nothing," Castiel explained to me, but realizing that the two guys were looking at him, he gave a nod to Will, then proceeded to ask who the cocky kid was. It was getting ridiculous because although the kid was brawny, we now had two guys standing over him.

"This ain't even worth it," baldy said as he walked away.

"Ah my heroes," I said laughing at what just happened. "Will! You're in Kansas!" He gave me a hug, and told me he was disappointed I did not say goodbye last time. He was continuing on his trip across the country it seemed.

"I'm here to catch the latest Marvel flick," Will explained. "I watched every single one of them back in England. What are you guys seeing?"

I told him we were seeing the same thing, and luckily, we were all going to the same showing. Will made a comment about how Castiel did not seem like a movies guy, and he admitted this was his first time, which shocked Will.

"What are you? Are you telling me that in all, what?- Thirty? Thirty-something?-years of your life, you have never been to the cinemas?" Will asked. We were in line for snacks now, and I was doing that thing where you mentally rehearsed your order before getting to the cashier.

"Um," Castiel replied. "Yes. Never in the, uh, thirty so years in my life." That snapped me back to their conversation, and I told Will that it was true, he was not into movies, but I dragged him here. I was glad Castiel did not correct Will on his age. Will got popcorn and a drink, while I also got popcorn, a Coke and a churro. I held my churro and coke, while Castiel helped me carry the popcorn.

We were a bit early, so we got to choose good seats. Will sat to my right, while Castiel sat on my left. Will caught me up on what he had been so far. Judging from his accounts, it seemed like he really liked museums. I also realized that people made museums for the strangest things such as Pez dispensers and rope.

The lights then started to dim, and I was already done with my churro, and they were only showing trailers. I took a sip of my Coke and waited decided I would wait till the movie actually started before I munched on my popcorn. So instead, I felt around in the dark for Castiel's hand and laced our fingers together, and huddled closer to him. I looked to see if he was okay with this, and through the light of the screen flickering through scenes, I saw that he was smiling.

The movie ended, but we stayed behind to watch the preview of the next Marvel movie. Shame how so many people left, not knowing about the bonus clip that every Marvel movie included at the end. The clip showed the world being threatened again, and of course, a call for help for the hero of the next movie.

I stretched when everything was finally over and looked at the fellow fans who steadfastly stayed behind as we did. Everyone gave each other smiles, celebrating our ingenuity. A male and a female couple walked down the steps from behind us, and looked at us. I was about to give them a thumbs up, when I realized I had seen their faces before. Were they not on the missing peoples posters from before? I stared at them curiously, wrinkling my forehead in confusion. They were leaving the room, but before they did, I saw them blink, and their eyes turned fully black.


	37. Chapter 36

Will said that he had dinner plans with a friend in town, so we said goodbye. However, we exchanged numbers so that we could meet up again if we were still in town and he had time to spare. Once he was out of earshot, I turned to Castiel instantly.

"Did you see the demons?" I asked. Thankfully, he said yes, so I now knew I was not imagining it. I told him that I think I saw their faces on the state police posters. If two of the missing people were demons, chances are, the rest are too. Which would mean...what would it mean? I wanted to look into it, but Castiel was hesitant. He wanted to wait till Sam and Dean came back because his rational was that if he was fighting, he would not be able to keep an eye on me, which may lead to disaster. I complied because I felt bad enough making him worry all the time. So I said we could go back to the motel and wait for them to come back. I could surf the internet on Sam's laptop for a while, since I did ask if I was allowed to use it and he said it would be fine. He did warn me about Dean's saved porn sites, though I suspect he probably had some too. Boys will be boys.

When we got back to the inn, we were having troubles getting to our room on the second floor because this one couple was making out on the walkway. Castiel gave me a glance, wondering what I was going to do. I contemplated tapping one of them on the shoulder so they can take a break and let us pass, but the guy abruptly pinned his lady friend onto the wall. I saw him going to second base, and decided we should get going before they get any more intimate. I walked past them, now that they made room on the walkway again, but Castiel was staring at them. I laughed at how creepy he must have looked, and quickly pulled him into the room before the couple could notice.

I dropped my bag on the night stand, and was about to go get the key to the Winchester's room so I could get their laptop, but I felt Castiel grabbing my wrist and pulled me towards him for a kiss. His soft lips pressed itself against mine, then he lifted them away, only to repeat the motion, giving me light kisses. I wrapped my arms around his neck, wanting more, and pulled his head in so he would stop teasing me. He finally gave in and we came together for a deep kiss. I was lost in our passion, but was jolted back when I felt Castiel's hand move from my waist to slowly snake under my red tank top, resting it behind me on the small of my back. He was a quick learner.

We pulled away from our kiss, and our shallow breaths filled the silence for a while. But then he slowly started to move his hand that was originally on my back upwards and I smiled, giving him consent. He started to kiss my mouth again, but moved on to trail his kisses away towards my neck. I inhaled sharply when he bit down, and he faltered for a bit, but I urged him on, desperate for his touch. I could feel his stubble against my neck, and I almost melted, feeling my knees go weak. Seeing this, Castiel withdrew his hand from my bare skin, and instead carried me over to the bed. I did not need more encouragement to start pulling my top off over my head, and started working on my pants. He watched, his face a reflection of appreciation and joy, as I smiled back at him, motioning him closer when I was content with my lack of clothing- now left in only my panties and bra. He shrugged off his trench coat and blazer, and I started to loosen his tie while he unbuttoned his dress shirt. I then undid his belt and with a mischievous smile, I unzipped his pants and he did the rest. He stood in front of me, and I marvelled at his body. His hipbones were well defined, and although he was not buff like Sam or Dean, you could see he had a runner's body- lean but muscular in all respects. I saw that Jimmy Novak had preferred boxer briefs. On the bed, I knelt on my knees so that I could kiss him. I too moved towards his neck, and parting my lips slightly, I sucked on his skin, leaving a love bite, marking him with my lips. I heard him groan, which was very arousing. I kissed over the now pink mark on his neck, which I knew would turn a deeper shade tomorrow, but Castiel lifted my head up to meet his lips.

I led him backwards towards me, and not breaking away from our kiss, we fell onto the bed. I unhooked my bra and for a second, it seemed like he did not know what to do. But he lowered his head towards my breast and began kissing it, then I felt his tongue brush over my sensitive nipples and I moaned his name. I really could not wait any longer, and I reached my hands up to the waistband of his briefs and started to pull them down. I saw his semi-erect cock, and he now seemed embarrassed, and apologized. I giggled at that, and with the both of us on our knees on the bed, I once again pulled him in for a deep kiss. I could feel his cock against my stomach, and I reached my hand down to tease the shaft. Jimmy Novak was quite blessed in size, and I was a bit nervous. Castiel moaned into my mouth as I slid my hand up and down his member slowly. I then gently ran my thumb over the tip of his cock, spreading the precome. I broke our kiss and started to pull my panties down, and then I pushed Castiel down onto the pillows and continued to play with his cock. He seemed to not know how to proceed so I decided to lead. I hastily grabbed my wallet from my bag on the nightstand, and took a condom from it, which I had kept in there just in case. I wrapped the latex sheath over his member.

His cock was now even more intimidating than before, as it was almost fully erect, but all the same, I slowly started to guide it into my wet slit. Castiel was watching, and when I winced as I tried to get used to his size, he pulled back, wanting to make sure I was alright. I silenced him by closing my mouth over his and once again, started to push him into me. This time, it was easier, though still slightly uncomfortable. But I was thoroughly wet by now, and I was able to slowly fit all of him in me without too much effort. Castiel gasped once I had him fully in me, and I started to kiss his neck again, feeling his stubble tickling my face. I slowly started to move my hips up and down, letting his cock slide in and out of me.

I guess Castiel was not satisfied with my pace, because out of nowhere, he decided to switch spots with me by flipping me so that I was now the one who was on my back, and he started to take lead. He began by entering me slowly, but before long, he was holding my hips in place and his cock slammed into me again and again. I gripped the covers on the bed as he fucked with an animal-like ferocity, and I could feel a warmth building up in me. His breath was also starting to get shorter, and I bit my lips, trying to control myself. But it was all for naught as I felt the warmth spreading through me and I went limp. I moaned as I orgasmed, and I felt Castiel still sliding in and out of me. Soon enough, he came and leaving his cock inside me, he collapsed on top of me, his head resting near mine, except into the pillows due to his position. I slowly started to stroke my fingers through his hair, and he turned to face me. We were both breathing heavily, and I felt sweaty. He drew his cock out, and asked what he was supposed to do with the condom. I told him to throw it away and he got up and went to the trash can. He came back to the bed, and I had lifted the covers because I was feeling sleepy. He crawled into the covers with me and held me close. I listened to his breathing as I fell asleep.


	38. Chapter 37

I woke up to knocks at the door, and Sam's voice asking if we were in here. I was enveloped in Castiel's arms, and he was watching me sleep. I gave him a sleepy smile before I told Sam to give me a second. I sat up and whispered to Castiel to get dressed, and I rushed to search for my clothes. I was pulling on my pants when Castiel got up off the bed, snapped his fingers, and he was all suddenly all dressed- suit, tie, trench coat, just like that.

"Show off", I muttered, now hastily pulling on my top. He laughed at that, and I pretended to glare at him, but I ended up laughing as well.

"Comon, open up," Dean's voice said-just as I yanked the door open.

"Sorry, was sleeping," I told the two brothers outside, trying to look nonchalant.

"That explains the sex hair," Dean said, which caused me to quickly brush my hair down with my fingers, and I guess I looked kind of shocked at how he knew. "Matter of speech," he explained, "But why are you so nervous? Doesn't she seem particularly suspicious Sammy?"

"So what exactly were you doing while Dori was sleeping Cas?" Sam asked with a huge smile on his face.

"I was, uh, watching over her," he said, and looked at me to see if that was the appropriate response.

"Dude, you not a virgin anymore?" Dean said, realization lighting up his face.

"What?!" I exclaimed. "That was your first time?!" I looked at Castiel in shock.

"Well, I have never deemed sexual intercourse necessary, nor was there anyone who I believed I would gain pleasure from. You would be the first that I had wanted to be with," he said thoughtfully.

Dean said an "Aw yeah!", and raised his hand for a high-five, which Castiel just looked at, causing Dean to drop his hand again.

"No freaking way that was your first time," I said. The secret was now out, but this was something I wanted to understand. He was not unexperienced.

"So Cas, how many more pizza man videos did you watch?" Sam asked teasingly. This seemed to cause Castiel to blush.

"Can someone explain who the pizza man is?" I asked.

"All in good time," Dean said with a wink.

* * *

We were now over at Sam and Dean's room, because although everyone was basically at my room, it felt too intimate for everyone to be crowding around in there. So I ushered everyone into the Winchester's room instead.

It took us only a few minutes to explain what we saw at the movies. Dean applauded my choice in movies, but was quickly brought back to the issue at hand by Sam hitting the back of his head.

"So where are these losers hiding?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, but-," I started.

"I can do a search now, if you would all like," Castiel said helpfully.

"Yeah, that would be great Cas," Sam said, rubbing his temples. "If all the missing people are demons, then we've got quite a problem in our hands. Wonder what they want."

Castiel was about to go but Dean called him back.

"Hey man, you got a little something here," Dean said, gesturing the area on himself that he wanted Castiel to check.

Castiel walked over to the mirror, and lifted his collar down a little, revealing the dark pink mark, which made me blush. Dean turned around in his chair and raised his eyebrow at me, telling Castiel "never mind."

After Castiel left, I excused myself so I could shower. Sam told me to hurry back because it probably would not take Castiel long. I sometimes forget how convenient angel mojo is.


	39. Chapter 38

After Castiel returned, we all ducked into the Imapala and set off for a warehouse. How is it so typical? All bad guys seem to hide out at some warehouse. Castiel made a quick search, and found a lead to an abandoned warehouse outside the city. It was going to be half an hour by car, but this time, no one was up for road trip bingo. Or at least I was not.

We were discussing what we should do when we finally arrive. Since we did not know what was going on, it would be best if we snooped around first and tried to wrap our heads around all this. I was getting nervous, because one demon, I can probably handle. But give me a whole group of demons? No thank you. If they were planning some sort of take over the world thing, I really hope the Winchesters and Castiel can sort it out.

We pulled up behind a lining of tree. I had no idea where we were but I knew that we went many miles without seeing any hint of civilization. It was as if someone purposely built this warehouse for a secret hideout. The structure itself was common enough. It seemed like a two storey building, and was burgundy in colour. There was a obvious entrance that jutted in, but I had a feeling we were not going to be taking that route.

"Okay, so Sam and I will be going in," Dean said, turning around in the driver's seat.

"I do not think that will be wise," Castiel said, "if it truly is where all the missing people in the city are, that is a lot of demons."

"What? So you want Dori in there with the load of them?" Dean asked.

This topic was argued on for a while, and I could not get a word in edgewise. Not that I knew what to say. Of course, I wanted to be of help, but I was also scared. I also felt like I was going to be a burden. On the other hand, Castiel would stick with me- he would insist on it- but the Winchester would need him there to obliterate demons.

In the end we decided that Castiel would go first, and if he deemed that the coast was clear, he would wave us over. Castiel flashed out of the car, and I saw something long and silver slip out from the sleeve of his trench coat. He then walked past the trees where we were hiding, and we watched as he approached the building.

"What was that thing that he was holding?" I asked the brothers.

"That's an angel blade. All angels have one. It works on both angels and demons. Those things come in pretty handy sometimes," Sam said. It was the first time I had seen Castiel pull it out.

"How did he hide it up his sleeve?" I asked, not understanding.

"Don't question it. Angel crap." Dean said.

Sam and Dean were focused on Castiel's figure, getting smaller with distance. I half hoped that Castiel's lead was wrong, and that this was only an empty warehouse. I mean, why would the demons be spotted in the city if their hideout was all the way out here? Why all the trips to the city? But we would have to deal with this problem eventually, so maybe doing it quick like ripping off a bandaid would be good too. Castiel disappeared behind the building, ignoring the front doors like I anticipated. I was getting nervous after he did not return for a few minutes- but believe me, it felt like hours. Then he stuck his head around the building, and you could make out his hand waving for us to come to him, though he ducked back to keep a lookout.

"Sammy, get the guns. And the bullets with the devil's trap on them?" Dean said, pulling the keys out of the ignition at last.

"I know which bullets to get Dean," Sam said annoyed, exiting the car. Meanwhile, I took my bag, and slipped my knife into my boot, back into the leather guard that Dean gave me. The two of them were packing weapons into a bag, and I opened the door, giving the location where Castiel was moments ago another glance. I turned around and I jumped. Someone was right behind me. The Winchesters' line of sight was obstructed by the open trunk of the Impala, still talking between them, deciding on weapons.

I did a double take when I realized that I knew the tall figure standing in front of me, and he raised one slender finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet. I was very confused, and found that I could not make a sound.

It was Will.


	40. Chapter 39

As quietly as he had appeared, he grabbed ahold of me, and when I blinked, we were in a completely different environment. No more lining of trees and abandoned warehouses. We were now indoors, and it seemed that we were in some sort of concrete room. There was a metal door that look eerily like the ones you would find in a jail cell.

He let go of my wrist and I was still in shock, but managed to compose myself enough to talk.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, my eyes trailing his figure as he paced the room. He turned to me and blinked his eyes, and they turned milky white. It was much a like a demon's eye turning fully black, but what was he?

"Ah, hell is where I'm from," he said mischievously, giving me a smile.

"Impossible. You can't get past the three of them if you're actually some kind of demon," I said plainly.

"I'm not 'some kind of demon'," he said, waving his fingers into air quotes, still smiling at me. I had seen Will smile plenty of times before, but seeing this white eyed monster in front of me giving me the same smile made me very uncomfortable. "Some know me as Asmodeus. A prince of hell if you may. Well, more like king nowadays, given the mess that the Winchesters have put hell through in recent events."

"Is this your meatsuit? Did you take Will?" I was getting angry. If he was hurting my friend in there, I would do whatever I could to kill this Asmodeus dude.

"Ahh yes, Will," he said sadly, still in his British accent. "He was never here to begin with. When you get taken over by a prince of hell, it's very unlikely you'll be able to cling on to your body. Poor chap. You've never met him."

"You pretended to be our friend? You were following us?" I asked, trying to grasp a hold of the situation instead of letting anger blind me.

"The famous Pandora was back on earth, no longer a relic of heaven. I could have sent some demons after you guys, but I wanted to see this with my own eyes. But you did, however, meet Gregory?" He asked.

"Will, I trusted you," I said, now close to tears. I thought I had made a friend. I had the Winchesters and Castiel, but I missed having connections with regular people. And Will was there to make me laugh and kept me in touch with normality. I should have known it was too good to be true.

"Come on Dori," Will said. "Don't be like that. I slowly did find myself wanting to befriend you. You are a fiesty little creature. So full of hope. So happy. I found myself taking quite a liking to you."

He now walked over to where I was, lifting my chin up, and brushing away a tear at the side of eye. "Too bad you fell for that good for nothing angel."

"Don't talk about Cas like that," I told him. "At least he never lied to me. He didn't want to kill me."

"Who said anything about killing you?" He asked with a chuckle. "No, no my dear. You are a source of energy for me, and I would very much like to keep you alive. You just might be the little bit more that I need to solidify my place as ruler of hell. And now, back to Castiel. He never lied to you? He chose to not tell you who you really were, at least not until he was forced to. You don't consider that lying? Who knows what other secrets he's been keeping from you? You're not being very fair to me."

A knock at the door caused both of us to look away from each other's deathstare. Will opened the door with a flick of his wrist.

Gregory stood outside, and gave me a nod. He told Will there was some sort of ruffle going on between two demons. Will sighed and said he would be on his way.

"You will stay here." He instructed me. He told Gregory to take my bag away and snapping his fingers, I found my wrists in shackles chained to the wall behind me.

"What the hell?" I said, struggling against the chains that held my hands raised to the sides of my head. I could not even touch my hands together. "Are you serious?"

"Just a precaution. Wouldn't want anything happening to you now, would we? We're not done here. You be good and I'll see you soon," Will said. Despite knowing that his name was some guy called Asmodeus, it did not feel right calling him that.

I let my hands hang limply against the wall. I tried calling out to Castiel, but I had a feeling he would not be able to hear me from here. Now I had to figure out what to do next.


	41. Chapter 40

I heard the thick wooden door screech open on its metal hinges. I shook my head so that I could get my hair out of my face, seeing as how my hands were a little tied up.

I thought it may be Will- or Asmodeus or whoever he is, but it turned out to be Gregory and two more of his demon buddies.

"Sorry hun, this may hurt a bit," Gregory said as he came towards me. One of the other demons handed him a knife and the other held a chalice, which he now held under my forearm that was hanging from a wall.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" I asked in horror, my voice a bit raspy from not having talked for a while.

He looked at me pitifully for just a second, and then he raised his knife to my arm, slicing through my skin. I bit my lip to keep from screaming, but I turned my head to watch as drops of my blood started to pool into the chalice. When it seemed that the blood flow started to dwindle, I looked away as he moved on to a different part of my arm and took another deep cut. My eyes were stinging from the pain and I could feel the moisture building up.

"This is for milord. He's testing out how to properly harness your energy," he said with a smile.

"Wait, you can't leave my arm like this!" I said as they started to retreat out of the room. "If I die from an infection or something, how will your stupid boss get his powers?" Honestly, my end game was to stay alive for as long as possible so I can make a getaway. Having a ripped up arm is probably not the best in that situation...or any to be honest.

"Sorry, nothing I can do about it. You see this knife here? It leaves wounds that you can only heal naturally through time, or instantly by Lord Asmodeus, so this is not up to me," he sad with a smirk. With that they left the cell.

I did not know how much time had passed since I first got here, but by now, I was giving up on any hope that I would be able to contact the Winchesters or Castiel. Each day, Gregory would come and drain a bit of my blood. My arms were scarred with both fresh wounds and healed ones. One of the demons working under Will would come in and force feed me now and then. Relieving myself was embarrassing as heck.

But there came a day when no one came. Well, I was not entirely sure a day had passed, but it had seemed like an awfully long time. But then the familiar creak of the door once again rang out. I did not look up, sure that it was time for a bit of my blood to be let again, but interestingly enough, it was not Gregory.

"Will?" I asked, as he released my hands from the chains. I dropped to the group, my shins hitting the floor hard. It had hurt, but my body was kind of numb.

"Lord Asmodeus," he corrected. "I'm in a bit of a situation, so I will need to borrow you for a second."

"Borrow me? As if you've been doing anything else!" I pointedly said, showing him my arms.

"For a different purpose. You will shut up and be a good little hostage for me," he said. He dragged me up, which was a bit difficult on both of our parts seeing as how my legs were a bit out of use lately. "It took them two weeks, but sadly, your little friends seemed to have found you."

My heart stopped. They found me. I could get out of this hell hole.

Will was dragging me by the wrist, checking every corner before he turned it. All around us, I saw fallen demons. I was shocked to see Gregory dead in a hallway. It went on this way for a while and my legs had finally started to work normally again. Meanwhile I was sending out calls for help, praying that Castiel would hear me.

Will was almost at some sort of entrance. I had no idea where we were, but it was actually a lot like a warehouse. Perhaps we were at some other warehouse. After all, what other structures could exist without too much question even if they were built in a secluded area? I wonder if we were still in Kansas.

"You really think you can get away that easily?" a voice said that made me want to burst out in tears.

"Sam!" I said, turning around.

"Well, I was hoping luck would be on my side," Will said, slowly turning around, but keeping a tighter grip on me.

"I must say, luring us to Kansas with all those missing persons posters was a nice trick," Dean's gruff voice now said. But I was not looking at the Winchesters. I was looking at Castiel, all six foot of him standing there, his whole expression screaming murder. He saw me looking at him though, and his features softened. He looked so sad it made one want to go and comfort him.

"Step away from her," he said, eyes returning to glare at Will.

"Of course I will," Will said, smiling. "It's just that you'll have to guarantee I will make it out this door without harm."

"Done, just let the girl go," Dean said, casually balancing his gun on his shoulder. "Let her go and you can walk."

I felt Will's hand loosen their grip, and he turned to open the door. I ran towards Castiel and he enveloped me in a hug. Smelling him again really did make a tear squeeze itself from my eyes. I knew he would be able to find me.

"I'm sorry we took so long," he whispered into my hair. I did not reply, but I drew his head down to mine to kiss him on the lips. When we pulled away, he lifted my arm up, running a thumb over my scars and semi-healed cuts.

"I knew this was too easy," Will said, turning around to look at the Winchesters, "but I heard that the Winchesters were men of their words." I looked to the floor below Will and saw something I recognized from Sam and Dean's leather book to be a devil's trap. However, it did not look quite right. For one, it was not enclosed in a circle, but a triangle.

"You thought no trap could contain you?" Sam asked bemusedly. "Too bad we did a little digging, Asmodeus."

"Then you'll know that this trap does nothing but stop me from taking another step," he said with a sneer. "I am, however, free to summon whatever ghastly creature I would like from hell. With the new strength I have gained, you can be sure that I can do that in a heartbeat. So what should I draw out of the deep dark depths of hell?"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Dean said. "We happen to have the one thing that can kill you. You and any other kings of hell there happen to be. Dori, you got your knife?" I quickly reached down to my boot, almost forgetting I hid the knife there. I did not exactly have a lot of opportunities to withdraw it with my hands chained.

"Well, go on then," Will said, "kill me. But you must understand that through drinking her blood every day for the past two weeks, much of her essence is in me. You kill me, you take her out with me."

I looked to Dean and Sam, horrified. The two now seemed unsure of what to do.

"Let him go," Castiel said, arms still around me.

"Oh Castiel, I don't need your permission," Will said, smiling as his eyes turned milky white again. A shadowy aura started to emanate off him, as he started to talk in a strange tongue.

"Dean, we have to stop him," Sam urged. "He finishes that spell, we may as well be doomed. He's calling for something that we can probably never control."

"I can't just do that," Dean retorted. "This is Dori's life we're talking about."

I watched as the winds outside started to strengthen, the sky turning grey. I knew what I had to do. Sure, humans may need hope, but what good would it do for them if they were not even alive to experience it? I turned to Castiel, and he looked down at me. I pulled him in again and kissed him once again on the lips, letting us stay there for a moment longer. Pulling away, I drew my knife.

"No Dori!" Castiel said, wanting to stop me, but the distance I travelled with too short for him to do anything of significance. Will was still fully occupied with whatever summoning spell he was doing, but I saw my chance, and I gripped the knife that my father had given me. With that, I plunged it into the figure in front of me.


	42. Chapter 41

I could feel him holding me tight, carrying me in his arms. The pain was unbearable. I felt myself being lowered onto a soft mattress. I was a mess, and I would not stop bleeding.

I could see the horror in Castiel's eyes and he attempted to heal me, but there was no helping it. Sam and Dean rushed towards the bed. I did not know where we were. Seeing that Castiel's powers had no effect, Sam ripped up the sheets, hoping to staunch the flow near my ribs. I coughed, turning my head towards the pillow, seeing it quickly dyed blood red. Coughing up blood was the worst. You could taste the metal-like flavour of it as you tried to swallow your saliva.

I vaguely saw Dean on his phone, followed by a conversation I recognized to be with paramedics.

"They're on the way," Dean said, after he put his phone away.

I was barely conscious. Things kept blacking out in front of me, making it very difficult to focus on anything.

"Cas-" I coughed.

I felt him hold my hand. I saw flashes of him between the blackouts. "Yes?" he asked. He sounded choked. Oh god, I could not take this right now. I forced my eyes to stay open, to say something, but all at once, the world disappeared.


	43. Epilogue

The Winchesters and the angel named Castiel stood in front of a headstone. Sam and Dean wanted to give her a hunter's funeral, but Castiel knew she would have preferred a nice, clean, traditional burial. They buried her back in her hometown, or at least where she recognized to be her home. But if you asked her, she would have told you that the last few months with the Winchesters and Castiel felt more like home than anything else she had experienced. She had gotten used to the backseat of the Impala, living off diner food, and getting her exercise by hunting all things supernatural.

The three men stood in silence for a while. Different thoughts ran through their head. They had lost a friend, a sister, and a lover. If they had looked at one another, they would have noticed a wetness to each of their eyes, but they were concentrated on the freshly laid grave in front of them. Somehow, they all felt like they knew that this was how it was to end. It seemed as if she had descended from the heavens to do just that: sacrifice so that man may continue to live. And in a sense, that was the greatest hope that can be given to humans.

After a long time, Castiel spoke, and told the brothers that he will go back up to heaven now, but would be listening in if they needed him. The Winchesters knew Castiel was hurt, but they did not know how much. But he had to live on, helping to protect what Pandora had died saving. Our three hunters said their temporary goodbyes to each other, and one last very permanent one to Pandora's grave.

And here, Pandora's story comes to an end.


	44. Writer's note

Hey all!

I hope you enjoyed this story! I ended it earlier than I originally planned, but I was getting very bogged down by school and other commitments. However, I know how horrible it is to be left hanging, so I decided to finish off the story (before I left it alone for too long and eventually just end up walking away!). This is how I originally planned for the story to end. The only changes I would have made with more time would probably be filling the story up with a bit more detail in the last two chapters or so.

**Now that the story is done, if one of you are talented in visual arts, I would welcome any submissions for a cover art to this story! **

I most likely will post more stories in the future. It may not be Supernatural related, since I feel like I need a break from this (41 chapters!), but I am involved in other fandoms too :) Feel free to follow me here on fanfiction and get updates! My tumblr is mixedletters dot tumblr

I once again thank you for sticking with me for so long, as well as your encouraging reviews and comments. I apologize for the long waits between some of my updates, and I probably have grammar mistakes sprinkled throughout the fic. I do try to catch them, as I proofread everything I post, but as I'm sure you understand, catching your own mistakes is hard!

Until next time :)


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